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Bruins Willing to Trade Two Pieces for Help at Center

The Boston Bruins are ok with Charlie Coyle at second-line center. That said, if they can upgrade, they’re willing to trade a couple players.

According to Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now, the Boston Bruins are settled into the idea of using Charlie Coyle as a second-line center this season but are on the lookout for help. If the team can make an upgrade after the loss of David Krejci back home and to the Czech Republic, they’ll certainly try to make improvements. The interest is there to the degree that they might be willing to trade a couple of roster pieces to acquire the center they need.

Related: Bruins Negotiating New Deal With Bergeron, Make Open-Ended Offer

Murphy writes:

NHL sources have confirmed to Boston Hockey Now that while Bruins GM Don Sweeney is still open to hitting the NHL trade market to find a replacement for longtime second line center David Krejci, the market has simply gone stale over the last five days. The timing couldn’t be worse for Sweeney and the Bruins after Krejci announced last Friday, that he was moving on from the Bruins and the NHL. For now, it appears the Bruins will slot Charlie Coyle in that 2C spot.

“I think the obvious choice is Charlie Coyle,” Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said when speaking to the media. He talked about each side being familiar with the other and that until other things “shake out”, Coyle is the most logical choice. But, what if something does shake out? Who would the Bruins be willing to trade to acquire the piece they need?

Jake DeBrusk and Jakub Zboril Boston Bruins
Jake DeBrusk and Jakub Zboril Boston Bruins

Murphy notes that one NHL source says the Bruins and Coyotes had serious trade talks involving Coyotes center, Christian Dvorak. Apparently those talks haven’t led to anything definitive, but he remains on their radar. Some speculation is that Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk and defenseman Jakub Zboril have been floated out there as part of trade talks. It’s not clear if those players were attached to a Dvorak trade however.

DeBrusk is rumored to have been on the trade block for some time. He is entering the final season of a two-year bridge deal that carries a $3.6 million cap hit. He’s not necessarily lived up to expectations and many believe a change of scenery could do him good. Zboril is also in the final season of a two-year deal with a $725,000 cap hit.

Considering both players don’t carry a huge financial burden, there is thought this type of a trade could work. And, if not with the Arizona Coyotes, there could be a fit with another team that has a center making more money than a team would like to pay and a trade that involved moving assets and a little bit of cap space could be worked out.

Again, the trick is finding a team that is willing to part with a second-line center better than what Coyle can offer. That might be easier said than done.

Next: Canadiens Shea Weber’s Crazy Contract: Why Teams Don’t Sign Them Anymore

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. Pingback: Gifted G Carter Hart Signs 3-Year Deal w/ Flyers on Heels of Awful Season

  2. UnkleRakesh

    August 10, 2021 at 12:59 am

    Problem is the Bruins don’t have cap to take anything on and only free up $4M and change with that trade. Not getting much of a 2C that meets the guidelines of the article.

    Bruins are better off reading DeBrusk and Grze to get a 1LD instead.

  3. Pingback: Bruins Believe There's a Chance They'll Get David Krejci Back

  4. Pingback: Bruins Believe There’s a Chance They’ll Get David Krejci Back – Hockey 1 on 1

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