Report: Bruins have trade in place for top defenseman

According to a report from Boston Bruins insider Ty Anderson, the team has a trade in place to land Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, but has to clear salary with another move before completing the Gavrikov trade.

From Anderson:

The 27 year old Gavrikov is one of the top defensemen available ahead of the NHL's March 3rd trade deadline and has featured into trade rumors for weeks now. The Blue Jackets have gone so far as to withhold him from their lineup the past week to facilitate a trade. In 52 games so far this year he has three goals and 10 points. He has a cap hit of $2.8 million and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this upcoming offseason. 

If the Bruins could rid themselves of Craig Smith and his $3.1 million annual salary, then it'd be easy for them to fit in Gavrikov. Personally though, I'd be wary of making big change to a team who clearly has their chemistry dialed. Sure, if I'm GM Don Sweeney I'm trying to make improvements where I can, but I'm not sure that a big trade with many moving parts is the right move for this team and this particular time.