How experts rated Bruins deadline moves
Boston —The Bruins were not among the most active teams at the trade deadline, and their acquisitions were not as impressive as other contenders. On Friday, they acquired veteran forward Pat Maroon and defenseman Andrew Peeke.
Here’s how national experts rated their actions:
The Boston Bruins acquire three-time Stanley Cup champion Pat Maroon from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a conditional 2026 sixth-round pick.
Bruins Grade: B
Maroon is still approximately three weeks away from returning to the lineup following back surgery. The Bruins are well aware of Maroon’s abilities, having faced him in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final against the St. Louis Blues, which sparked Maroon’s three-straight Stanley Cup wins.
His presence provides the Bruins with a physical bottom-six forward who can occasionally provide added production. Maroon had four goals and 16 points in 49 games before being injured.
The Athletic on the Maroon trade
The Athletic did not provide grades and gave the move mixed reviews:
Pat Maroon might be a viable option for the fourth line as the Bruins prepare for playoff games. He brings size and playmaking abilities, as well as extensive postseason experience. This season, the ice is skewed in favor of the opponents during his five-on-five minutes.
If he can contribute some secondary scoring for Boston, it will compensate for that — or perhaps a change of scenery and linemates would help him improve.”
The Athletic on Bruins deal for Andrew Peeke
The Athletic had Peeke on their list of players to avoid prior to the deadline, so their post-deal skepticism was expected.
“Boston does not have a clear need for a player on the right side, for example, but the left side (and forward group) is a different story.” Aside from that, they’re facing a short-term cap issue, and Peeke is, at best, a reclamation project signed for two more years at a cost of $2.75 million. Is that a significant sum of money? Not really. The issue is that Peeke has a long way to go before he’s worth it. He has appeared in only 23 games this season for the league’s weakest defense squad, mostly in low-leverage situations. With him on the ice, Columbus has only 36% of the predicted goals. That isn’t only the worst for the Blue Jackets; it ranks 779th out of 806 in the league. At the moment, that is not a player worth $2.75 million per year or a third-round selection to acquire. Boston just done both.
The hope is that Peeke, still only 25 years old, will improve with the Bruins over the next two years. We’ve seen this happen previously. However, making that happen this season appears to be a daunting task. Most importantly, it is an unusual deployment of cap space and assets by one of the Eastern Conference’s finest teams. If Peeke was a pending UFA, this would be a “no harm, no foul” situation, with the grade reflecting that. “That is not the case.”
The Daily Faceoff had the Bruins among the losers in their deadline winners and losers
Similarly to the Athletic, the Dailey Faceoff did not like the Peeke trade.
“GM Don Sweeney didn’t have a fantastic day. When the Andrew Peeke deal was announced, I figured Boston would receive a third-round selection as compensation for removing Peeke from Columbus’ roster. This season, he has struggled and has been a healthy scratch for a terrible squad. Peeke has two seasons left at a $2.75 million AAV, and Daily Faceoff insider Frank Seravalli recently said he could be a buyout candidate. Sweeney believed Peeke was worth a third-round pick, but what about Jakub Zboril? Curious. Worse, the canceled Linus Ullmark transfer has become a public relations catastrophe. The Bruins supposedly had a significant trade that Ullmark prevented due of geography. That will make things unpleasant between the Bruins and the defending Vezina Trophy winner going ahead.”
USA Today gave the Bruins a “C” and wrote:
“You can’t argue with adding a three-time Stanley Cup winner (Pat Maroon), especially because the predicted first-round matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs might be intense. However, their actions were not as impressive as last year.
CBS
CBS had the Bruins as their deadline losers:
“There may be some hand-wringing in Boston following this trade deadline, and with good reason. The Bruins made some fascinating selections but did not significantly improve their squad, whereas the Panthers and Hurricanes did.
On Friday, the Bruins opened the day by acquiring veteran fourth-liner Pat Maroon from the Minnesota Wild. Maroon’s efficacy is debatable, yet he has three Stanley Cup victories. If Boston had done something else, it could have been a good trade, but the team’s sole other acquisition was defenseman Andrew Peeke from the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Peeke signing was particularly odd because it cost the Bruins a third-round pick, and he has had a dreadful 2023-24 season.”
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