The Bruins have put themselves in an intriguing spot, and now the trade chatter is starting to match it. Boston’s early-season results have been stronger than expected, the cap room is there, and the front office has enough draft capital and young talent to at least listen when bigger names start floating around the market.
One of the names drawing the most attention is Detroit center Dylan Larkin, but the case for Boston to jump in comes with a catch: the Bruins may need a top-six center, yet they also have real hesitation about handing out a long-term, big-money deal that could climb past David Pastrnak’s $11.25 million AAV in this new, post- Leo Carlsson NHL economy. Pavel Zacha has filled that role for stretches, but Boston’s uncertainty is part of the story here.
That uncertainty is why a swap built around veteran top-six centers could make sense in theory, even if Boston would have to add considerably more to the deal. It’s the kind of move that fits the Bruins’ need, but not necessarily their comfort level.
Detroit’s situation is part of what keeps the conversation alive. Interim GM Shawn Horcoff has already made it clear the Red Wings are willing to take calls, especially with unsigned young defenseman Simon Edvinsson in the mix.
Horcoff said, “I’d still like to sign Simon, but I think when it’s someone like that and the situation that we’re in, you can’t help but take calls,” and added, “It’s my job to do what’s in the best interest of the Detroit Red Wings. I’m going to take all those calls and hear what people have to say.”
Edvinsson is the kind of player Boston would love to target if he ever became available. He’s 23, 6-foot-6, and still early in his NHL career, with the look of a potential No. 1, left-shot defenseman. That matters for a Bruins team whose top defensemen are mostly 30 or older and which does not currently have a young blueliner in the system projecting as a future No. 1 or a clear successor to Charlie McAvoy.
The problem is cost. Detroit would want a haul for a player with that kind of upside, and that means asking for some of Boston’s best young assets. Names like Fraser Minten and James Hagens come up in that kind of discussion, and the possibility of a package involving Mason Lohrei, Matt Poitras, Dean Letourneau or Will Zellers is part of the larger conversation.
Boston has reasons to keep watching every angle. There have already been rumblings around other names, including mercurial Flyers winger Matvei Mickkov, after Kevin Weekes reported earlier this week that he wants out of Philly following a very public screaming match on the bench with D-man Nick Seeler. There’s also the volatile situation with Nikita Kucherov in Tampa Bay, where the two-time Hart Trophy winner and two-time Cup winner has already told the Lightning he won’t be back after his current contractual walk year.
The Bruins’ position gives them flexibility, but it also gives them choices to avoid. They are buyers heading toward the deadline, with about $7 million in cap space, draft picks to work with and a growing list of prospects they may not want to part with. That’s why the idea of chasing Larkin, or any other major name, is less about simple fit and more about whether Boston is willing to pay the price.
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