Bruins preparing to pull off a heist in anticipation of playoff series against the Leafs
The NHL's trade deadline is only two days away and we have still yet to see any blockbuster deals come through in the last little while. In previous seasons, most contending teams got their deals done and dusted relatively early, but the market and landscape has changed dramatically this year and with a lot more teams on the bubble in the playoff race, there's hesitation to move on from expiring contracts.
One rumoured deal that could tip the scales comes from Insider Chris Johnston who said that the Vancouver Canucks could look to flip recently-acquired Elias Lindholm to the Boston Bruins to better facilitate a move for Jake Guentzel from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Lindholm was moved from Calgary to Vancouver on the 31st of January for a package surrounding Andrei Kuzmenko, two prospects, and 2 picks, including a first rounder. His transition hasn't been as smooth as Vancouver would have liked as he has just 4 goals and 6 points in 14 games with a minus-5 rating but they have been interested in and linked to Guentzel all season long.
There would need to be a lot of moving parts because the Boston Bruins only have around $61,000 in cap space at the moment. Nevertheless, the Swedish veteran would check off all of their boxes and give them a legitimate top-6 centre.
If all teams involved can make this work, it could spell doom and gloom for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who will most likely have to face the Bruins in the first round of the playoffs - again. Their track record speaks for itself, and after last night's loss, they have dropped 6 consecutive contests against Boston. Give them a top-line centre and they'll be that much harder to beat.
However, it seems more like a rumour than anything else - at least for the time being. The Canucks would love to bring Guentzel into the fold and seemingly don't mind moving on from someone they moved a ton of assets for just a month ago. Which means that the Maple Leafs will need to be on high alert if their rival pulls this one off and perhaps that will shift their deadline plans with only a few days remaining.
| POLL | ||
MARS 6 | 387 ANSWERS Bruins preparing to pull off a heist in anticipation of playoff series against the Leafs If Boston lands Lindholm, do the Maple Leafs stand a chance in a likely first round matchup against the Bruins? | ||
| Yes, the Leafs possess a far better offensive unit | 95 | 24.5 % |
| No, we already can't beat them now | 189 | 48.8 % |
| Tough to say, depends what the Leafs add | 103 | 26.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
