Rumor: Bruins “deep” in trade talks for very talented forward.

Bruins have a big target.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 5 years ago
Rumor: Bruins “deep” in trade talks for very talented forward.
Mike Wulf/CSM/Zuma

It is no longer a secret that the Boston Bruins, and more specifically Bruins general manager Don Sweeney, have been attempting to add another skilled forward to their line up this season and it seems like they may have found their man. 

According to a report from Bruins reporter Jimmy Murphy, two sources have now informed him that the Bruins are currently involved in "deep" trade talks with the St. Louis Blues organization. Now of course there have been rampant rumors regarding the future of star forward Vladimir Tarasenko in that market, and in fact the Bruins themselves have been linked to Tarasenki a number of times, but it seems that the Bruins have focused in on another of St. Louis' talented scoring forwards. 

Instead of the focus being on Tarasenko the two sources informed Murphy on Friday night that the Bruins are now targeting veteran National Hockey League player Brayden Schenn, a move that makes sense from a number of different perspectives. The first and most obvious reason the Bruins would target Schenn over Tarasenko is the amount that Blues general manager Doug Armstrong would seek in return for each player. Tarasenko is a bonafide star in the NHL and you can bet that the Blues would expect a ton in return for moving that type of player, especially given his current contract status. 

Tarasenko is under contract for 4 more seasons after this current season and all of those come with a no trade clause in the language of the deal, and with that many years of term remaining the price for Tarasenko would be, rightfully, astronomical. Schenn on the other hand only has 1 year remaining on his deal after this current season, something that would make him much cheaper and something that would effectively make him somewhat of a long term rental for the Bruins.

The last factor here is of course the salary cap hit that each individual players currently brings to the table. Barring any possible salary retention from the Blues Tarasenko would count for $7.5 million against the cap for each of the next 4 seasons, a hefty price to pay for a player who has shown a steep decline this season, in spite of the fact that he is a proven commodity. Schenn on the other hand comes in at just $5.125 million per season and that makes him a much more affordable option for the Bruins both in the short term and the long term. 

No word yet regarding what the Bruins are offering St. Louis in their efforts to add Schenn.

Source: