3 Bruins Dark Horse Trade Candidates for 2024 Deadline
The NHL Trade Deadline for 2024 is less than two months away, despite the fact that it may seem unbelievable. Teams will likely be busy since they have until Friday, March 8th, at 3 p.m. ET to complete their trades before the deadline expires. As the best club in the Eastern Conference right now, the Boston Bruins are a team to keep an eye on. They will therefore try to bolster their roster before to the deadline.
If the Bruins wish to improve their roster, they may part ways with a few unexpected players due to their lack of draft picks. Let’s talk about three possible dark horse trade prospects for the NHL Trade Deadline in 2024 as a result.
Matt Grzelcyk
Matt Grzelcyk is one player you might want to keep a watch on come trade deadline day. The native of Massachusetts, whose contract is expiring this season, attracted trade interest early in the season. Given their limited salary space, the Bruins might be willing to part with his $3,687,500 cap hit in the correct arrangement.
Charlie McAvoy’s outstanding player Grzelcyk has been a reliable defensive partner, but the Bruins may move the former to acquire a real top-six center such as Elias Lindholm. The same could be said for a reliable top-pairing defenseman for a player such as Jakob Chychrun, a longtime trade target for the Bruins.
The 2023-24 season has also been a bit underwhelming for Grzelcyk. Offensively, he has not made much of an impact, posting just two goals and four assists in his first 30 games. Due to this, his relatively high cap hit, and his expiring contract, the Bruins could view him as expendable if it means bringing in an upgrade before the playoffs.
Fabian Lysell
If the Bruins want to make a significant addition before the deadline passes, they will be forced to move on from a top prospect. Matt Poitras and Mason Lohrei are likely both untouchables for the Bruins, as the youngsters have high ceilings and are proving to be NHL-ready. Due to this, if the Bruins make a big splash before the deadline passes, Fabian Lysell may end up being the notable prospect moved.
The Bruins chose Lysell, who is 21 years old, with the 21st overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. He had 37 points in 54 games as a rookie with the Providence Bruins the previous year; in 35 games this season, he has 11 goals and 30 points.
In addition, he has scored 13 points in the last ten games, indicating that his development is proceeding as planned.
However, considering that the Bruins are in a win-now situation, it is probably not out of the question to trade him for a player with significant effect before the deadline.
While the Bruins should not actively shop Lysell, it is fair to wonder about his availability over these next several weeks. In fact, he may be the prospect needed to bring in a player like Lindholm.
Jake DeBrusk
One final player who is worth paying attention to leading up to the deadline is Jake DeBrusk. The 2015 first-round pick is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA), and things have been incredibly quiet on the contract extension as the season has gone on. If Bruins general manager (GM) Don Sweeney does not view him as a long-term part of this group, they could consider adding him to a trade package to bring in a star.
DeBrusk, 27, carries a $4 million cap hit, so the Bruins would gain decent financial flexibility if they added him to a big move. However, at the same time, trading him would certainly come with some risk, as he is a legitimate top-six forward when he is playing at his best.
DeBrusk has 10 goals, 22 points, and a plus-12 rating in 43 games this season. Despite having lower stats this season, he has scored 11 points in his last 12 games. The Bruins will probably keep him if he continues to play like this. However, Sweeney might be willing to add him to a huge deal or a one-for-one hockey trade if he cools off once more like he did at the start of the season (11 points in his first 31 games).
Now, before the deadline passes, we will have to wait and watch whether the Bruins decide to move on from any of these three dark horse trade options. Even though none of them are being aggressively pursued, it wouldn’t be shocking to see at least one of them included in a possible deal if the Bruins want to make a significant acquisition.
Leave a Reply