The Boston Bruins didn't make the big splash that some Bruins fans were hoping that they'd make ahead of the NHL trade deadline. But they did make a smaller move to fill a need ahead of their 2020 postseason run.
Before the deadline passed, the Bruins made another trade with the Anaheim Ducks. After trading for Ondrej Kase on Friday, they were able to swing a deal that brought Nick Ritchie to the Bruins and sent Danton Heinen to the Ducks.
In the wake of the trade, there was some debate about if the Bruins actually got an upgrade for their team. That was a hot topic on NBC Sports' NHL trade deadline show, and our own Joe Haggerty and DJ Bean debated the merits of the trade.
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Bean, for one, was not impressed with the deal and actually thought that Ritchie was a downgrade for the team.
Is he better than Danton Heinen? No. Danton Heinen hasn't even been that good, and you still downgraded. This was a salary dump, I understand you want to save money and you do save money and you get some of the money back that you're paying to get rid of David Backes along with a first-round pick and a prospect. Now you're basically giving away your first-round pick, a prospect, and Danton Heinen and are getting a fourth-liner back.
Haggerty fought back against that notion, saying that Ritchie may actually find a way to impact the game, something that Heinen struggled to do all too often during his time with the Bruins.
Boston Bruins
How on God's green earth is Danton Heinen better than Nick Ritchie when Ritchie has more goals, averages more points per game and has twice as many hits? He's actually someone you notice during the game from time to time throwing a hit or actually putting his body in front of the net. We never notice Danton Heinen doing anything when we watch him play.
There will only be one way to actually know which player will end up fitting in better with the Bruins. And that will involve seeing how Ritchie fares for the B's and how they do without Heinen.
For more of Haggerty, Bean, and Tom Giles' thoughts on the NHL trade deadline, check out the video above or head over to YouTube to watch the full clip.