Bruins’ hopes of that massive three-way ‘hockey trade’ officially die
In theory, general manager Don Sweeney and the Bruins could still try to make a move for the Canucks’ Elias Lindholm between now and Friday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline.
But the hopes of it being part of some mega-deal that landed Jake Guentzel in Vancouver officially died late Thursday night, as Kyle Dubas and the Penguins instead (and officially) moved Guentzel to the Hurricanes.
After what felt like a laborious week of Guentzel talks, a trade between Pittsburgh and Carolina took about six hours of work but formally and finally came together just before midnight Thursday, with the Canucks seemingly playing the role of runner-up after what many insiders considered a ‘strong push’ from Vancouver.
Full trade:
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) March 8, 2024
Pittsburgh trades Jake Guentzel (25% retained) and Ty Smith to Carolina in exchange for Michael Bunting, Ville Koivunen, Vasili Ponomarev, Cruz Lucius, Carolina’s 1st RD pick in 2024 (Conditional) and Carolina’s 5th RD pick in 2024 (Conditional).
Now, on the surface, this didn’t mean much of anything to the Bruins directly. They weren’t in on Guentzel, nor did they have the capital to easily pull off that kind of trade even if they were in on Guentzel. But it did throw a big ol’ bucket of cold water on the Bruins’ hopes — even if they were slim — of the Bruins using a Guentzel-to-Vancouver trade to add Lindholm to the fold just a month after watching him go from Calgary to Vancouver in a massive deal.
How the Bruins would’ve made it all happen in the first place would’ve been an interesting watch, to say the least.
You almost have to imagine that the deal would’ve included pending unrestricted free agent Jake DeBrusk in some fashion, likely as a throw-in for a Pittsburgh club that’s seemingly thrown in the towel on the 2023-24 season. (I’m sure they wouldn’t have minded a 20-game run to see if DeBrusk clicked with someone like Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin.) That was something we talked about on Zolak & Bertrand earlier this week, and was even something that eventually caught the ear (and interest) of Kevin Weekes, who passed the idea along on Twitter/X.
👀
— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) March 6, 2024
Plenty of potential deal scenarios out there right now, but this one I heard has caught my attention ;
Guentzel to @Canucks
DeBrusk to @penguins
Lindholm to @NHLBruins
In a potential 3 way deal.#HockeyX
Again, the Bruins could try to circle back to the Canucks and see if Lindholm is still available. But with Guentzel no longer the grand prize, it’s worth wondering if the Canucks even want to trade Lindholm now. It’s clear that Guentzel, a natural winger, would’ve been viewed as a clear upgrade for the Canucks. Now? Who knows if that upgrade is even out there.
The Bruins, by the way, remain in a money-in, money-out kind of situation when it comes to their trade deadline.
Jeremy Swayman speaks on recent Linus Ullmark trade rumors
Oct 24, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) and goaltender Linus Ullmark (35) celebrate their win against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center. (David Banks/USA TODAY Sports)
But the truth is that their partnership has never seemed more in jeopardy than it does right now.
Don Sweeney’s Bruins are a team with multiple needs and limited resources to address those needs. With no draft picks, no high-end prospects (one they’d want to part with, anyway), and no cap space, there’s been talk of breaking up what’s been both a backbone and a luxury for the B’s in net. And a scarce goaltending market — Nashville isn’t trading Juuse Saros, Minnesota is not trading Marc-Andre Fleury, and a trade to send Jacob Markstrom from Calgary to New Jersey has never seemed to truly get off the ground — has seemingly forced Sweeney to explore the market on the 30-year-old Ullmark.
It’s also a talking point that’s been brought up by the game’s heavy hitters on the trade new front. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has talked about an Ullmark trade on multiple platforms now, and the possibility of Ullmark becoming a target for the Devils was brought up by Pierre LeBrun earlier this week. In a world where a lot of faux insiders chase engagement and retweets, Friedman and LeBrun don’t. If they’re putting pen to paper with something like this, you know there’s some actual dialogue happening somewhere.
And the noise did not stop Thursday night, with Kevin Weekes adding another layer of intrigue to the topic with his inclusion of the Bruins when discussing teams working on a big move involving their goaltending.
DALLAS, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 06: Linus Ullmark #35 of the Boston Bruins and Jeremy Swayman #1 celebrate after defeating the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on November 06, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
The other problem, of course, could be the chemistry issues an Ullmark trade could create.
It may sound silly, but it truly seems like the Ullmark-Swayman tandem brings the best out of each goaltender. Their aforementioned bond is a real thing, and the Bruins have benefitted greatly from the rather bizarre trend that’s almost always seen one of them surge when the other is down. Boston’s ability to rotate a starter-quality goaltender for every game this season has also helped keep a flawed team afloat for prolonged stretches.
There’s also a legitimate case to be made for the Bruins rolling through the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a playoff rotation, especially with neither Ullmark nor Swayman looking like a true workhorse and with neither goaltender winning a round through their two playoff runs together to date. Having Ullmark as a backup option in the event that Swayman struggles or vice versa is hardly a bad backup plan for the B’s.
At the same time, however, it feels obvious that this tandem is coming to an end. Be it by the deadline or this summer when the trade market is expected to be a bit more open with the cap ceiling going up significantly. Swayman is due for a massive raise (and it sounds like he’ll get it here), and the tricky part for him is that it’s going to be impossible for him to get it while Ullmark is here. Not with all of the Bruins’ other long-term needs.
