PITTSBURGHWith the NHL Draft weekend comes trade rumors swirling everywhere involving many players of interest.
Everybody knows Columbus Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson is looking to unload Rick Nash for an impressive ransom, and there more than a handful of serious suitors for the power forward.
But everything CSNNE.com reported several weeks ago about potential Bruins involvement with Nash trade talk remains true. Howson and the Blue Jackets are looking for franchise building blocks in exchange for a franchise player in Nash -- a forward that also has topped 40 goals only twice, has never scored more than 80 points in a season, and cant count his playoff appearances on more than one hand.
According to multiple sources, the Bruins were informed a deal would take two players from a group of three including Tyler Seguin, Dougie Hamilton or Milan Lucic, as well picks and prospects. Thats in line with the James van Riemsdyk chatter between the Flyers and Blue Jackets, and makes it clear that the cost for Nash would be too rich for the Bruins blood.They have no intentions of trading either Seguin or Hamiltonplayers on the rise that could be in Boston for 10 years or morefor a player in Nash that appears to be in a career plateau at age 28.
More realistic scenarios for the Bruins: Bobby Ryan with the Anaheim Ducks or Keith Yandle with the Phoenix Coyotes. Given the cap hits involved and the needs for both franchises, Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli could be looking long and hard at potentially dangling center David Krejci along with a pickprospects package to make either one happen.
With both Patrice Bergeron and Tyler Seguin potentially ready to man center positions on the top two lines next year, and Krejci ready to become the highest paid Bs forward at 5.25 million per season, the environment is there for a potential move to bring in greater offensive punch. The Bruins might be forced to move one of their defensemen group if Yandle were brought on board, but hes the kind of puck-moving power play quarterback Boston has been searching for since Chiarelli took over the Black and Gold.
Both Yandle and Ryan are signed for at least three years to come with cap hits slightly north of 5 million that would be evened out if Krejci were sent in the other direction.
Boston Bruins
There were whispers of a KrejciRyan deal before the Bs center signed his contract extension last season. Krejcis no-movement clause doesnt go into effect until July 1, 2013.
While speaking in general terms earlier this week, Chiarelli said the Bruins may revisit trade talk seeds this week at the draft that were planted with teams last spring.
A lot of the work you do leading up to the trade deadline does carry over so what I try to do is set up dealsplant seedsset up deals at the trade deadline for the summer or for the fall, said Chiarelli. So theres a lot of legwork that goes into making a trade. Theyre hard to do now, so my preparation for this trade market and upcoming trade markets starts back before the trade deadline.
Usually those deals that happen or that are talked about around the trade deadline are more for the moment, but you do get a sense of where guys feel where their roster might be in late-June, early-July from discussions at the trade deadline.
The Bruins dont appear too eager to jump on 7-8 million cap hit players like Nash or Zach Parise, but stay tuned in the secondary market on the next tier down as the Bruins listen to potential deals that might just fall into their laps this June.