Taylor Hall

Snapshots: Hall, Zadorov, Kulikov, Blueger, Tanev

April 11, 2021 at 6:56 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 11 Comments

Taylor Hall has been sitting for just over a week now while waiting to see where he’ll be traded to. It appears his new team may soon be known as TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter links) that the Sabres have made progress on the trade front today and there are believed to just be three teams left in the mix for his services. Buffalo will undoubtedly need to retain a sizable chunk of his $8MM cap hit (they can hold up to half) and as we’ve seen with recent notable moves, a third-party facilitator could also be in play. While the 29-year-old is having quite a rough season with just two goals in 37 games, he could be an intriguing wild card for whoever gets him down the stretch.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

The Blackhawks and Nikita Zadorov have held talks on a new deal, report Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus of The Athletic (subscription link). Chicago is interested in keeping the defenseman in the fold but with Zadorov holding arbitration rights, there is some risk to tendering him a $3.2MM qualifying offer. Chicago’s initial offer is believed to be around $3.5MM while Zadorov’s camp is looking for something starting with a four so there is a bit of ground to be made up. As Zadorov’s not a pending UFA, this isn’t a situation that necessarily has to be resolved by tomorrow’s trade deadline.
Devils defenseman Dmitry Kulikov was held out of tonight’s lineup as a precaution heading into the trade deadline, Corey Masisak of The Athletic was among those to note (Twitter link). The 30-year-old has two assists in 38 games this season while logging 19:33 per night. With a $1.15MM cap hit, Kulikov is an affordable depth option that is quite likely to move by Monday.
The Penguins welcomed back Teddy Blueger to the lineup against New Jersey as the team announced that he was activated off injured reserve. The 26-year-old has been quietly effective this season with 15 points in 28 games. Meanwhile, the Pens also transferred winger Brandon Tanev to LTIR retroactive to April 3rd. For the time being, that gives them another $3.5MM in cap room to work with and if they believe that he’ll miss the rest of the season, that could give them some more flexibility to try to make a splash at the deadline.

East Notes: Lundqvist, Hischier, Johnston, Devils

April 11, 2021 at 2:41 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

While veteran Henrik Lundqvist was hoping to return to the NHL for the playoffs, the 39-year-old veteran announced via Twitter that those hopes will not be possible. The goaltender, who signed with the Washington Capitals in the offseason only to have to sit out the year after learning that he required open-heart surgery to fix issues with his heart, has been back on the ice for almost a month in hopes of joining Washington. However, he announced that inflammation around his heart requires more time for rest and recovery.

“Last week’s checkup showed some inflammation around the heart that now requires a few months more of rest and steady recovery,” wrote Lundqvist. “While it’s not what I hoped for, I know this is all part of the process of getting back to 100%.”

While a return to the NHL this season seemed highly unlikely, it’s disappointing for Lundqvist, the Capitals and fans who would have loved to see the veteran back on the ice.

The New Jersey Devils could be close to getting back their No. 1 center as head coach Lindy Ruff said that Nico Hischier is “very close to playing, he’s closing in on that date,” according to NHL.com’s Amanda Stein. The 22-year-old has struggled staying in the lineup due to injuries. He was forced to sit out for the first month of the season with a leg injury and after appearing in five games, he suffered a facial fracture that required surgery. He practiced with the team Sunday, working with the penalty killing unit and is expected to rejoin the team’s No. 1 power play once he returns.
The New York Islanders have placed forward Ross Johnston on injured reserve due to an undisclosed injury, according to The Athletic’s Arthur Staple. That will allow the team to recall Oliver Wahlstrom from the taxi squad. The 27-year-old Johnston hasn’t seen too much time with the Islanders this season, appearing in just nine games. He has no points, but has 35 penalty minutes. Wahlstrom will likely have to battle with Leo Komarov for playing time.
Chris Ryan of NJ.com reports that the third-round pick sent to the Washington Capitals for Jonas Siegenthaler is technically still conditional. The Devils sent the Arizona Coyotes’ third-round pick to Washington, which was acquired in the Taylor Hall trade. However, there was a condition to the deal in which New Jersey would actually get Arizona’s second-round pick if Hall re-signs with the Coyotes. Of course, that condition is extremely unlikely considering that Hall is now in Buffalo. Unless the Sabres trade him to Arizona and Hall signs an extension with them before the draft, that condition wouldn’t happen. However, in the unlikely circumstances that did happen, the Devils would then opt to send their own third-rounder to Washington for Siegenthaler.

Blues Believed To Have Shown Interest In Taylor Hall

April 10, 2021 at 9:28 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 10 Comments

A few days ago, it looked as if St. Louis was looking towards selling but things may have changed. They sit one point out of the final playoff spot in the West Division and are coming off a 9-1 thrashing of Minnesota on Friday night. With that in mind, TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports that the Blues have inquired about one of the top rentals available in Buffalo winger Taylor Hall.

Hall’s struggles this season have been well-documented as the 29-year-old has just two goals along with 17 assists, hardly the type of production that he or the Sabres were expecting this season. It’s also nowhere near close to justifying his $8MM price tag which is why Buffalo is expected to retain as much as the maximum 50% to facilitate a trade between now and Monday’s trade deadline. Hall is also willing to entertain extension talks as well, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reported on Thursday (Twitter link).

St. Louis doesn’t have the cap space to take on a $4MM deal after retention but they do have a winger who appears to be on the outs in Mike Hoffman. He has also struggled with his new team, notching nine goals with a dozen assists in 36 games, well below the 36 and 29 goals he tallied in each of the last two years when he was with Florida. If they were to include him in a trade for Hall and Buffalo retained half, there would be no cap change on either side.

Of course, the question would then become what other asset(s) would be added by St. Louis to make such a move palatable for the Sabres. While it’s possible (if not probable) that Buffalo would turn around and flip Hoffman in this particular scenario, they’d still be looking for other picks or prospects.

GM Kevyn Adams has been seeking a first-round pick for Hall but so far, there haven’t been any takers. If that doesn’t change over the next couple of days, a move like this that would yield another piece or two plus whatever they can get by flipping Hoffman could become more of a legitimate possibility while St. Louis could become a very intriguing team in the playoff chase in the process.

Taylor Hall Held Out As Trade Talks Escalate

April 6, 2021 at 11:14 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 17 Comments

Deja vu all over again. The Buffalo Sabres will hold Taylor Hall out of tonight’s game, interim head coach Don Granato told reporters including John Vogl of The Athletic. Hall should be used to this after going through the same process in December 2019 with the New Jersey Devils when trade talks had heated up with the Arizona Coyotes. The pending free agent forward will be dealt before Monday’s deadline after a brutal season in Buffalo. Darren Dreger of TSN reported yesterday that there is a sense trade talks were escalating, though nothing has been officially announced yet.

Coincidentally, it’s the Devils that the Sabres are set to play tonight and they’re holding out their own deadline asset in Kyle Palmieri. Arguably the two most sought after rentals at the deadline, they’ll have to watch their struggling teams do battle and hope the next stop is a more competitive one. The Sabres are now 8-23-6 on the season and have scored just 82 goals in 37 games, while the Devils aren’t that much better at 13-17-6 with 88 tallies in 36 games.

Hall specifically has been terrible for the Sabres, scoring just two goals on the season. Just one of those has come at even strength and his assists have even dried up of late. In his last 13 games, Hall has just three points and has generated just 24 shots on goal despite averaging more than 17 minutes of ice time. Still, it’s that 2017-18 Hart Trophy season that makes Hall such an intriguing factor at the trade deadline as teams will try to unlock that MVP-level ability.

Of course, it’s hard to see that season as anything other than an outlier at this point. Hall is now 29 and is on his 11th NHL season. Only twice has he recorded more than 65 points and only once has he broken the 30-goal mark. A huge reason for that is injuries, but his predilection for missing games is also something that should be considered when spending assets to acquire him at the deadline.

Still, with strong possession numbers for the Sabres this season and such obvious one-on-one skill, Hall is an enticing package for contenders. Buffalo’s asking price so far has started with a first-round pick, and though it may be difficult to secure that, Sabres GM Kevyn Adams will do everything in his power to maximize the return. It seems likely that Buffalo will retain half of Hall’s $8MM cap hit to bring more teams into the conversation, but it’s not entirely up to them on where he ends up. Hall has a full no-movement clause and can block a trade to any team in the league. That means the Sabres must work with him to find a fitting landing spot in the coming days.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Hall, Schedule, Kolyachonok

April 5, 2021 at 4:55 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 7 Comments

The Buffalo Sabres could be getting closer to a trade of Taylor Hall, as Darren Dreger of TSN tweets that “there’s a sense talks have escalated.” Dreger doesn’t believe a move is “imminent” but after the New Jersey Devils pulled Kyle Palmieri over the weekend, the precautionary pull is something to watch for.

Hall is one of the top rental targets on the open market and the Sabres need to make sure they get the best package possible before the deadline. Risking him to injury in a lost season doesn’t seem to make much sense.

The NHL has issued a schedule update, but it will likely be followed by a further announcement this evening. The change has the Calgary Flames playing against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday April 10, when they are still technically scheduled to meet the Vancouver Canucks. With so many positive test results for the Canucks over the past week—a 17th player was added to the COVID Protocol today—their games on Thursday and Saturday were always unlikely to be played.
The Florida Panthers have reassigned Vladislav Kolyachonok from the KHL to the AHL for the rest of the season. The 19-year-old defenseman was a second-round pick in 2019 and became a regular for Dynamo Minsk this season, recording six points in 46 games. He’ll get his first chance of pro hockey in North America, but isn’t a stranger to these parts; Kolyachonok played two years in the OHL for the Flint Firebirds before returning to the KHL this season.

Trade Rumors: Hall, Flyers, Panthers

March 30, 2021 at 6:53 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 9 Comments

While he stopped short of stating that there is a lot of interest in Buffalo Sabres winger Taylor Hall, TSN’s Darren Dreger noted on “Insider Trading” this evening that the team is receiving different varieties of offers for the former MVP. While some teams see Hall strictly as a rental, Dreger reports that GM Kevyn Adams has also received calls from teams with interest in a trade-and-sign potential. Despite Hall’s struggles this season, it seems that there are clubs who still believe in his long-term value once he escapes Buffalo. Normally, these teams would not necessarily need to inform the opposing GM of their post-trade intentions. However, given Hall’s No-Movement Clause there seems to be more transparency from suitors in hopes that Hall would waive to come to their team. Dreger relays that Adams and Hall’s agent, Darren Ferris, recently met to discuss these offers as well as those from teams who have not yet expressed interest in an extended relationship with Hall.

GM, agent, and player will all need to be on the same page for a deal to get done, but Hall has already stated that he is open to waiving his NMC for the right move, so it seems likely that he will end up traded. Yet, don’t be surprised if the deal doesn’t happen until deadline day. Dreger believes that Adams could hold on to Hall as long as he can, allowing Hall’s pro-rated cap hit to decrease as much as possible, as a tactic to improve or at least maintain his trade value. With so many team’s facing a salary cap crunch, a cheaper Hall is a more valuable Hall. To this point, it seems teams have balked at Buffalo’s first-round price tag for Hall, but their best chance of netting that return will likely be on deadline day.

As young Carter Hart continues to struggle this season, it is becoming more and more likely that the Philadelphia Flyers will have to add another goalie if they want to compete for a playoff spot down the stretch. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that they are certainly considering a move, but have not made a decision yet. While the numbers for Hart as well as Brian Elliott are not appealing so far this season, bringing in a third netminder is not a simple decision. The Flyers would need to have the cap flexibility to carry three goalies and would also need to consider the mental status of Hart if they were to essentially bump the season-opening starter to a third-string role. LeBrun believes that Philadelphia will wait as long as possible to make a deal, hoping that their current tandem improves but also in order to take a realistic look at their playoff chances at the deadline and weigh whether a move in worth it. If the Flyers do opt to seek another goalie, LeBrun notes that the name they are being linked to is Detroit Red Wings veteran Jonathan Bernier.
It would surprise no one to hear that the Florida Panthers are looking for a defenseman in light of the season-ending injury suffered by stalwart Aaron Ekblad. However, Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards reports that the team was actually scouring the market for a top-four blue liner even before Ekblad’s injury, which only served to up their efforts. The Panthers had enjoyed strong seasons from Ekblad, MacKenzie Weegar, and Keith Yandle and had not hesitated to give considerable play time to Anton Stralman, Gustav Forsling, and Radko Gudas as well. However, the team recently waived Stralman, which just goes to show how much they value his contribution so far this season. And while Yandle and Gudas have played well, the two are somewhat of specialists, only excelling at one end of the ice. With Ekblad gone, the Panthers will have to rely on Weegar and Forsling as their most complete defensemen and neither has the experience needed to lead a contender on a deep playoff run. It is likely this concern that prompted a search even before Ekblad went down.

Trade Deadline Primer: New York Islanders

March 29, 2021 at 9:58 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 3 Comments

We are now just two weeks away from the NHL Trade Deadline and talks are heating up. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the New York Islanders.

The New York Islanders, perpetual underdogs, are again delivering an excellent season. Picked by many before the season to miss the playoffs in a loaded East Division, the Islanders have outplayed their competitors for much of the season. A top-five team in goals against average and shots against per game, the Isles have again bought in to head coach Barry Trotz’ conservative, smothering style and are frustrating opponents left and right.

With that said, New York does not have a top-class offense, and that was even before the season-ending injury to captain Anders Lee. The Islanders are just a middle-of-the pack team in terms of scoring and are below average on the power play. As a side effect of the system, they do not put a lot of shots on net and have few odd-man rushes. Simply, they need to make their scoring chances count and without Lee that becomes more difficult. The Islanders have won just five of their past nine games since their leading goal-scorer went down and have slipped into a tie with the Pittsburgh Penguins in second in the division. In terms of points percentage, New York is closer to the Boston Bruins in fourth (who have many more game in hand) than they are to the Washington Capitals in first. The Islanders are unlikely to fall out of the playoff picture completely, but to stay near the top they desperately need to add offense.

Record

22-10-4, .667, T-2nd in East Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$0MM in full-season space (LTIR, $6.53MM unused), 0/3 retention slots used, 48/50 contracts used per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2021: NYI 1st, COL 2nd, NYI 3rd, NYI 4th, NYI 5th, NYI 6th, NYI 7th
2022: NYI 1st, NYI 2nd, COL 2nd, NYI 3rd, NYI 4th, NYI 5th, NYI 6th, NYI 7th

Trade Chips

Like many contenders, the Islanders don’t have the strongest pipeline to lean on. However, likely looking to add just one rental forward in a buyer’s market, they shouldn’t have to offer up any of their few elite prospects to get the job done. So fear not Isles fans, Oliver Wahlstrom and Noah Dobson aren’t going anywhere.

Kieffer Bellows is likely the name that will be heard most often as being linked to outgoing Islanders’ packages. A polarizing, but promising prospect, Bellows hasn’t found the success in the NHL that was expected of a first-round pick and World Juniors standout, but he could benefit from playing in a different system. The 22-year-old may very well be selected by the Seattle Kraken in this summer’s Expansion Draft if he is still on the roster and not protected, so the Islanders might be looking to deal him rather than risk losing him for nothing.

The Islanders also have an organization depth chart chock full of young defenseman that they could offer up in a deadline deal. Bode Wilde will be the player most suitors ask about, but the team will try to steer them away from the talented righty. Sebastian Aho and Grant Hutton are NHL-ready assets who don’t necessarily have a full-time spot waiting for them in New York next season, making them expendable, while Robin Salo and Samuel Bolduc are younger options with intriguing upside.

Others to Watch For: F Ross Johnston ($1MM, 2022 UFA), F Michael Dal Colle ($700K, RFA), F Otto Koivula ($787K, RFA), D Parker Wotherspoon ($725K, 2022 RFA), G Jakub Skarek ($764K, 2023 RFA)

Team Needs

1) Top-Six Winger – GM Lou Lamoriello will have his sights set on one thing and one thing only at the deadline: a Lee replacement. While the captain’s locker room leadership and even his two-way effort and IQ likely cannot be found on the market, the Islanders need to find someone who can take up his knack for scoring goals. The team relies on efficiency on offense and are now missing their most reliable scorer. They are solid down the middle and have plenty of other talented wingers, but no one who isn’t already playing in the top-six can reliably fill Lee’s shoes. With up to $7MM in cap space to use with Lee on Long-Term Injured Reserve, nearly any rental winger can fit under the cap. Buffalo’s Taylor Hall, the lone exception, could be had with some retention involved, but New Jersey’s Kyle Palmieri or Nashville’s Mikael Granlund would fit nicely under the cap. If the Islanders can’t manage to land one of those top options, dark horse candidates could include Chicago’s Mattias Janmark, who is scoring goals at a torrid clip this year, Vancouver’s Tanner Pearson, if healthy, or another New Jersey option, Nikita Gusev.

2) Goaltender – Being the shrewd veteran executive that he is, don’t be surprised to see Lamoriello look at solving an Expansion crisis ahead of the deadline as well. With young Ilya Sorokin exempt from the draft and Cory Schneider headed for free agency, the Islanders do not currently have the necessary goalie to expose to Seattle assuming they protect starter Semyon Varlamov, unless they extend the 35-year-old Schneider that is. Instead, look for the team to add a keeper with term on his contract or heading for restricted free agency. The team could kill two birds with one stone if they make can find a dependable addition; having a fourth-string for the playoffs and a third-string to replace Schneider next year would be a wise move.

Latest On Taylor Hall

March 26, 2021 at 4:26 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 19 Comments

After Eric Staal was dealt from the Buffalo Sabres earlier today for a moderate return (if that), hockey fans all across the country rushed to CapFriendly to see what else might be included in the team’s fire sale. Top of the list is a former Hart Trophy winner in Taylor Hall, who will certainly command a lot of attention as the deadline draws near.

Earlier today, Darren Dreger of TSN tweeted that Buffalo GM Kevyn Adams has spoken to multiple teams about a Hall trade and now we may know what he was saying. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that the initial asking price for Hall involves a first-round pick, though the insider suggests it will be difficult to even get that at this point. Staal only landed the team a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick, even with Buffalo retaining half of his already relatively low cap hit. That retention will likely have to happen for Hall too regardless of where he goes, given how expensive his one-year deal is.

The 29-year-old inked a one-year, $8MM deal with Buffalo in the offseason as a chance to play top-line minutes next to Jack Eichel and build his value back up after a disappointing season, but his time with the Sabres has done anything but that. In 32 games, Hall has just two goals and 17 points, numbers that really only compare favorably to depth forwards, not top talent. In fact, Staal even had more goals than him (3) in the same amount of games, and has the added benefit of experience and a Stanley Cup championship.

So really what is Hall worth? He has only reached the playoffs twice in his career, and though that 2017-18 Hart campaign was outstanding, now has just 69 points in his last two seasons combined (97 GP). Remember too that he has only reached those lofty MVP-type totals on two occasions, recording 65 points or fewer in nine of his 11 seasons because of injury or inconsistency.

There is also the debate on what a first-round pick is even worth this season, given how much uncertainty surrounds the scouting profession. Teams haven’t had multiple extended looks at many of the top prospects, meaning the spread of draft talent could be even wider this time around. Perhaps that’s why Buffalo was happy to take mid-round picks for Staal, hoping to hit on a prospect that falls due to limited exposure, but that would be relying on their relatively small scouting department to identify things that others miss.

At the very least, the Staal trade has indicated two things. One, the reduced quarantine on players traveling to Canadian teams has opened the market, and two, waiving a no-trade clause to get out of Buffalo doesn’t seem like such an obstacle. Greg Wyshynski of ESPN confirmed that Staal did have the Canadiens on his no-trade list, but he agreed to the deal anyway. Louis Jean of TVA Sports adds some more context, tweeting that the Canadiens “didn’t need to convince Staal” to waive the clause—certainly a bit of an indictment of the Sabres current situation. Hall also holds the cards in that situation with a full no-movement clause, but it is hard to see him blocking any deal to a contender after 16 straight losses in Buffalo.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Sabres Notes: Trade Aggression, Goaltending, Hall

March 6, 2021 at 1:55 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

Prior to Sabres GM Kevyn Adams speaking with the media on Friday, TSN’s Darren Dreger noted in a segment on WGR 550 (audio link) that Adams has been among the more aggressive teams in terms of trying to make a deal but the trade market as a whole continues to be tough to navigate with trades with Canadian teams being next to impossible due to quarantine concerns. Just about everything that could go wrong has gone wrong for Buffalo this season between injuries, key players underperforming, and even some players going through COVID-19 which has them in the basement in the East Division. They sit 14 points out of a playoff spot heading into Saturday’s games and while that’s not an insurmountable gap to make up with all in-division matchups, the likeliest scenario is that those trade talks will soon start to inch towards selling players if it hasn’t already.

Trade Rumors: Pearson, Flames, Capitals, Bruins

March 4, 2021 at 8:01 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 9 Comments

As the Vancouver Canucks’ season descends further and further into an inescapable disappointment, TSN’s Darren Dreger states on “Insider Trading” this evening that no impending free agent in Vancouver is off limits to suitors. However, that doesn’t mean that all current impending free agents will remain as such through the trade deadline in just over five weeks. Dreger notes that the Canucks would prefer to re-sign forward Tanner Pearson, who is coming off a career year in 2019-20. Negotiations on a new contract have not yet begun, but GM Jim Benning would like to start talks as soon as possible in order to have a clear picture ahead of the deadline. If there is no meeting of the minds on a potential extension and seemingly little chance of progress ahead of the deadline, the Canucks will have to trade Pearson. The two-way winger is their most valuable rental trade chip, as depth options Brandon Sutter, Sven Baertschi, and Jordie Benn have lofty cap hits relative to their value and veteran defensemen Alex Edler and Travis Hamonic have No-Movement Clauses that they may not be eager to waive. If the Canucks can’t re-sign Pearson before the deadline, or at least get a handshake agreement in place, trading him to a contender is their best chance of leaving the deadline with a nice haul of picks or prospects without having to move a term player.

The rival Calgary Flames are currently buyers and their biggest need is a winger, but Pearson doesn’t meet their most important criteria. TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports that Calgary GM Brad Treliving is on the hunt for a right winger and, more specifically, a natural right-handed shooting right winger. The Flames’ best right-shot forward is Elias Lindholm and, while he has played on the wing many times before, the team prefers his fit at center. Unfortunately, that leaves the club with a lack of top-six caliber righties to put on the wing. Josh Leivo, Brett Ritchie, and the recently-waived Dominik Simon (a lefty) have not been the answer. The team also prefers to keep top-nine lefties like Andrew Mangiapane and Dillon Dube on the left side if possible and certainly do not want both on their off side. As a result, Calgary is seeking a trade partner. Seravalli does not address whether the Flames are only seeking rentals or if, seeing as the righty problem isn’t going away, they are looking at all options. The team already faces some difficult Expansion Draft decisions in regards to its deep forward corps, so a term acquisition could prove problematic. Among rentals, New Jersey’s Kyle Palmieri and Nikita Gusev or Detroit’s Bobby Ryan stand out as the few top available options at a shallow position on the market.
Seravalli notes that another team with a very specific need could be the Washington Capitals. While Washington has received a stellar performance in net from rookie Vitek Vanecek, pressed into the starting role temporarily while Ilya Samsonov was sidelined, both Samsonov and Vanecek lack a crucial component to playoff success: experience. Seravalli wonders if the Capitals trust the young tandem enough to ride them into the playoffs, with veteran Craig Anderson as the third-string, or if the team needs to make a trade. Bob McKenzie echoed this same concern on NBC Sports on Wednesday. Experienced rental options include Devan Dubnyk, Antti Raanta, Jonathan Bernier, and possibly Pekka Rinne. But the question becomes whether or not any of these older goalies are an upgrade to Vanecek based only on experience, as only Rinne has outplayed him this season.
While it should come as no surprise to anyone who has reviewed their salary cap status, Bob McKenzie appeared on NBC Sports’ broadcast on Wednesday night and essentially stated that the Boston Bruins have the cap flexibility to do whatever they want at the trade deadline. He added that the team is in this situation “by design” and that GM Don Sweeney is open to any and all possibilities. The Bruins have dealt with injuries on defense and at forward and have experience concerns on the back end and scoring issues up front, so fans were happy to hear McKenzie say they could add a prominent defenseman or forward, “or both”. Currently pressed by injuries, the Bruins have just under $3.5MM in cap space which still prorates to nearly $8.7MM at the deadline, per CapFriendly. However, the Bruins banked cap space earlier this season when they had fewer injuries and could still get healthier before the trade deadline. With no one on the injured reserve eating up cap space at the deadline, CapFriendly estimates that Boston could have upwards of $12.7MM in prorated cap space. For context, that could be enough to add top-priced rental Taylor Hall and a defenseman like Ryan Murray while staying under the cap. The Bruins will be a team to watch over the next five weeks.

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