Boston Bruins Trade Deadline Without Big Fireworks

   

      The Boston Bruins went into the 2020 NHL trade deadline with the best record in the league and the favorite for the President’s Cup. Amid speculation GM Don Sweeney would swing for the fences with an all-in type of trade to try to tip the scales in the Bruins favor, instead the team made two calculated moves with upside. Along with the potential the B’s also received cap relief by jettisoning most of the contract of David Backes. Other teams made deals for bigger names, but the potential is there for Boston to have made impactful moves. The eastern conference representative in last year’s Stanley Cup Finals is poised to make another run. It is currently unclear if they have done enough to put them ahead of the rest of the field. 
A few days before the deadline passed, the Bruins made the trade to bring in forward Ondrej Kase from Anaheim. This was the more significant scoring impact of the two trades the team made. In Kase, the Bruins get a 24-year-old with speed and potential. He scored 20 goals in 66 games during the 2017-2018 season and the Bruins are surely hoping this is the version they are receiving in the trade. For all his skill and potential, Kase has had issues with staying healthy. He was on injured reserve when this deal was made, and he only played in 30 games last season. He was considered a cheaper alternative for teams who couldn’t make a big splash. The Bruins are hoping his style can mesh with fellow Czech country mate David Krejci on the 2nd line and provide some much-needed consistent scoring. 
One of the appealing pieces of the Kase trade is the fact he is under contract through next season when he is due to only become a restricted free agent. The cost certainty is surely appealing to the Bruins while the potential makes the risk worth it. Combine this with part of the trade involving Anaheim taking back 75% of the remaining year on the David Backes contract and the salary cap strapped Bruins managed to free up a little space for themselves. The price of selling Backes off to Anaheim was Boston’s first round pick in this year’s NHL draft along with defensive prospect Axel Andersson. Anderson was a second-round pick last year and was not a short-term solution for the team. 
Since the Kase trade was able to give the Bruins additional salary cap space, most people expected them to make another deal this time with more ripple effects. The deal they made at the deadline was for forward Nick Ritchie. This was another trade with Anaheim and was just a swap of players. To get Ritchie the Bruins sent Anaheim Danton Heinen. This was a swap of 24-year-old forwards who have different skill sets. Heinen was an all-around forward who showed scoring potential early in his career, but he is streaky and seems to have hit a plateau in his career. While still valuable and playoff proven, Ritchie brings a bigger body which the team found more valuable. Ritchie also brings a smaller salary cap hit which the team found advantageous as well. The bigger body and more rugged style of play was something the Bruins missed in last year’s cup finals against St. Louis, and the Bruins are banking on Ritchie making an impact in this area. He has eight goals and eleven assists this season, but he will be looked on to bring not just scoring but toughness to a team that often runs small on the weight scale. 
The Bruins made two good moves, but maybe they could have done more. Although these moves may pay off, their main competitors in the conference and across the league were also very active at the deadline. Although two of their suspected biggest targets Chris Kreider and Kyle Palmieri were not traded, names such as Tyler Toffoli, Blake Coleman, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and Vincent Trocheck were all traded. Most of these trades were to other teams in the east. Bruins fans were frustrated by these developments, but it is possible the asking price was either too high or the Bruins were unable to match what other teams were able to offer. The Bruins did try to trade for forward Ilya Kovalchuk from Montreal, but when he was given the choice, he opted to be traded to Washington to play with fellow Russian Alexander Ovechkin. Maybe the Bruins were so focused on making a move for Palmieri or Kreider, they missed out on these other potential deals. 
It is also possible Don Sweeney looked at the situation and valued the potential chemistry match of Kase and Ritchie more so than another trade. The two will be under contract for next season, and his lesser thought of trades during last year’s cup run worked out well. If he is right and things work out, he could now have a consistent second line while also having inconsistent former second line forward Jake Debrusk now slotted with Charlie Coyle on the third line. If it all works out, then the Bruins could have three to four dangerous lines on any given night and in any given playoff series. Only time will tell how it all works out.