The 2023 NHL trade deadline is still three weeks away, but two New York teams are not waiting around and making their moves early. On Jan. 30, the New York Islanders got Bo Horvat from the Vancouver Canucks. On Feb. 9, the New York Rangers traded for Vladimir Tarasanko and Niko Mikkola from the St. Louis Blues.
Those two deals are two that could impact what the Boston Bruins and general manager (GM) Don Sweeney plan on doing over the next 21 days. Horvat was someone that the Bruins could use not only this season, but in the future as a top-six center when Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci are gone. Tarasanko was another possible target for the Black and Gold as depth scoring and Mikkola was someone who Boston could have used as depth on defense, something he’s going to bring to the Rangers.
Related: Bruins Need More Sweeney Success at 2023 Trade Deadline
It’s safe to say that the Blues and GM Doug Armstrong are not going to be done wheeling and dealing over the next three weeks. They have several players that could very well still be on the move and some would be good pieces to add to the 2022-23 Bruins.
Montgomery Has First-Hand Knowledge of Blues Roster
One member of the Bruins organization that knows the St. Louis roster well is first-year head coach Jim Montgomery. He spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach on Craig Berube’s staff, mainly working with the forwards. Young stars Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas are not going to become available, but Montgomery can be a voice in Sweeney’s ear as to what players he could look to add to Boston for the stretch run.
The Bruins have a need for a depth forward, possibly a right wing or center, but also depth on defense. St. Louis might not be able to provide help on defense, unless they want to take a flyer on veteran Robert Bortuzzo with Mikkola gone, but they can sure help Boston with some forward depth, something that Montgomery worked with first-hand for two seasons.
Bruins & Blues Can Still Be Trade Partners
One name that will be available and have plenty of suitors interested with Ryan O’Reilly. The tough, physical center can still produce offensively and be a difference-maker in the playoffs. Slotting him into the middle of the current Bruins roster at either center or wing would be easy enough for Montgomery. Sweeney and the Bruins found out firsthand what he can do in the postseason in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. In the deciding Game 7 at the TD Garden, he scored the first goal and later added an assist in a 4-1 clinching victory. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy after posting 23 playoff points that spring.
Other suitors for O’Reilly’s services in the Eastern Conference will be the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning, two teams that the Bruins would most likely have to go through in the second round of the playoffs if they are going to get to the third round.
Another player that would be a nice addition is Ivan Barbashev. The center is a very flexible player that can play all three forward positions and in 51 games this season, he has struggled offensively with just nine goals and 15 assists, but putting the 27-year-old on the third line in Boston with Taylor Hall and Charlie Coyle could help him find his offensive game. Former Bruin Noel Acciari is another player that could help the bottom six with depth or even take a flyer on Tyler Pitlick is an option for Sweeney. All three players are on very good contracts for the Bruins current cap situation.
Does Sweeney want to break up what’s been going on with his forwards this season? Probably not, however, depth is needed for the playoffs. If he can move Craig Smith and bring in a better point-producing forward, then the Blues are someone that can help out. O’Reilly, who is currently on injured reserve, but expected to be ready by the deadline, and Barbashev and Acciari are all going unrestricted free agents (UFA) following the season and are prime rental candidates for a Stanley Cup run this season.
