Report: Bruins 'kicking tires' on a questionable trade.

There are quite a few Boston Bruins fans who have lost faith in their management and if the rumors of the most recent trade talks are true they may have good reason to question the direction of their team.

According to a report from Bruins insider Joe Haggerty of CSNNE, management is currently looking to acquire a young defenseman from the Florida Panthers. Haggerty believes the discussion have been preliminary and characterizes them as "tire-kicking."

One of the blueliners the Bruins have expressed interest in a potential trade for is Florida Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, according to a hockey source.

Now to be fair to general manager Don Sweeney and the rest of Boston's management team, Kulikov is a very talented blue liner, and despite being only 25 years old he already has a ton of experience at the NHL level with 460 games which includes 28 goals and 110 assists, already under his belt.

The problem with this move is there are two major downsides for Boston in this trade, the first being the Price tag that Haggerty reports the Panthers have put on Kulikov.

...the cost would something in the neighborhood of Boston’s 29th pick in the first round and a Frank Vatrano-level prospect.

It's a stiff price to pay for the Bruins, especially when you consider the second major downside, the fact that Kulikov is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season, meaning that any deal Boston makes could potentially only earn the Kulikov's services for a single season should he not re-sign with the organization. 

 If Boston were to give up their first round pick for what ends up being a blue line rental it's unlikely to go over well with the fan base, and could turn into an unmitigated disaster for management.

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