Winter finally showed up in New England this weekend, and with it came a flurry of action-on and off the field. While a fresh coating of snow blanketed the Boston area, the Patriots delivered a postseason win that warmed up fans across the region. Their victory over the Houston Texans punched a ticket back to the AFC Championship, a welcome return for a fan base that’s grown used to January football but hasn’t had much to cheer about lately.
Adding some crossover star power to the scene at Gillette Stadium was none other than Zdeno Chara. The former Bruins captain, recently honored by the team, was in attendance for Sunday’s playoff showdown.
And honestly, seeing Big Z on the sidelines makes you wonder-could he moonlight as a special teams weapon? At 6-foot-9 with a wingspan that could probably block out the sun, he might just have one more athletic chapter left in him.
Then again, between running marathons and speaking what feels like every language on Earth, Chara’s post-hockey résumé is already stacked.
Switching over to the ice, the Bruins had a relatively quiet weekend-at least on the transaction front. They notched a solid win in Chicago on Saturday, but the bigger storyline was the trade that didn’t happen. Rasmus Andersson, a name that had been heavily linked to Boston in the rumor mill, ended up heading to Vegas instead.
For a moment, it looked like the Bruins were seriously in the mix. Reports swirled Sunday morning about a potential deal that would’ve sent promising young defenseman Mason Lohrei, center Matt Poitras, and a first-round pick to Calgary in exchange for Andersson. That’s a hefty package, especially when you consider Andersson is a pending unrestricted free agent.
In the end, Vegas pulled the trigger, sending Zach Whitecloud, prospect Abram Wiebe, a conditional 2027 first-rounder, and a conditional 2028 second-rounder to the Flames. No contract extension came with the deal, so Andersson remains a rental for now.
According to Elliotte Friedman, the lack of an extension was a major sticking point for the Bruins-and understandably so. Giving up multiple young assets and a first-round pick for a player who could walk on July 1? That’s a tough sell, especially for a team that’s not exactly in all-in mode this season.
Make no mistake, the Bruins have been a pleasant surprise this year. But this isn’t a roster that’s one piece away from a Cup run.
Holding onto their young core and future picks is a smart play by GM Don Sweeney. There’s no need to mortgage the future for a short-term splash that might not move the needle enough.
The Bruins are set to practice in Dallas on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s matchup with the Stars. With the trade deadline still a ways off, there’s time for Boston to explore other options-ideally ones that don’t come with quite as steep a price tag or as much uncertainty.
For now, the B’s stay the course. And with the Patriots still alive in the playoffs, New England fans get to enjoy a rare mid-January double dip of football and hockey relevance.