The Boston Bruins saw many of their Eastern Conference rivals make trades the past few weeks, and on Friday, the defending Eastern Conference champions made a move of their own.
The B's acquired forward Ondrej Kase from the Anaheim Ducks in for veteran forward David Backes, prospect Axel Andersson and a 2020 first-round pick.
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Kase is a 24-year-old forward signed through next season with a $2.6 million salary-cap hit. He's capable of scoring 20 goals and driving puck possession/shot attempts at a positive rate. The primary concern with Kase is health. He's been injured for long stretches of his NHL career, but when healthy, he's been quite effective. Backes, 35, was waived by the Bruins last month after failing to make an impact at both ends of the ice. Getting rid of his contract, which lasts through the 2020-21 campaign with a $6 million cap hit, gives the B's more financial flexibility to make additional trades and/or take care of free agents this summer.
Here's some of the initial reaction to the Kase trade from hockey Twitter. Most of the reviews have been positive.
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