Bruins insider links 2 gritty forwards to the team in trade talks.

The modern iteration of the Boston Bruins has not really lived up to the team's reputation for being both big and bad out on the ice but that has come with the benefit of featuring and developing more skilled and talented forwards in the line up. 

Whether or not you believe that to be a good thing is likely a matter of perspective but the reality of the situation is that the game is currently getting both young and faster, and you either adapt with the times or you get left behind. That being said though there are some who feel the Bruins have gone too far the other way and as a result have become a team that is too easy to play against on a nightly basis in the National Hockey League. It seems that Bruins management may agree as they have now been linked in trade talks to 2 prominent names in the National Hockey League and in both cases the player involved is known for his willingness to throw down.

In a recent mail bag Boston Bruins insider Joe Haggerty was asked about whether or not the Bruins needed to be more physical up front, and on the ice in general, and Haggerty responded in the affirmative. He also added however that he was hopeful given the recent rumors surrounding the Bruins that the team was actively looking to add exactly that type of player. There are certainly a lot of players around the league who could fit the bill, but Haggerty zeroed in on 2 names specifically, St. Louis Blues forward Brayden Schenn and Philadelphia Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds.

From Haggerty:

You’re preaching to the choir, Greg. That’s why I like the whispers I’m hearing about the Bruins being interested in Brayden Schenn with the St. Louis Blues. He’s not a killer like Adam McQuaid by any means. But he is a tough player, a team-oriented guy and somebody that plays with honest-to-goodness physicality, and he can put the puck in the net too. The Bruins need another big, tough player up front and Schenn could be that guy.

I was pushing for a tough guy for the fourth line earlier in the season, but the way Noel Acciari, Sean Kuraly and Chris Wagner are developing as a fourth line makes me very hesitant to do anything to mess that up. So it’s either Wayne Simmonds, or Schenn, or somebody like that who could lend some muscle and mean to a front group that’s pretty young, pretty small and pretty skill-oriented for the most part.

Both moves seem like they would make a lot of sense here given the well documented struggles for the Blues this season as well as the fact that the Flyers have yet to make a big splash since firing general manager Ron Hextall. It's no secret that both Blues general manager Doug Armstrong and Flyers' general manger Chuck Fletcher are trying to shake things up and dealing a big name forward who could net a significant return is certainly one way to accomplish that goal.

Which of these 2 would you rather see in the black and gold?

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