Here are five questions facing Sweeney and the Bruins this week:
1. What happens with Brad Marchand?
Marchand left Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury and did not play Sunday. Interim head coach Joe Sacco said Marchand did travel with the team and will be further evaluated on Monday back in Boston.
How much more time Marchand will miss is one question (for what it's worth, Elliotte Friedman said
Monday's "32 Thoughts" podcast that Marchand is expected to miss the rest of this week, but that it's not a long-term injury). Whether he’ll still be a Bruin at the end of this week is another.
Marchand and Sweeney both say they want to get an extension done that will keep Marchand in Boston. That’s great, but obviously there’s a reason they haven’t struck a deal yet. Some sort of gap remains between the two sides, whether it’s years or money or both. Friedman reported Monday that the negotiations have ebbed and flowed throughout the season, and that he doesn't "know how to call this one right now."
Can they bridge that gap this week? Or at least make enough progress that they see the light at the end of the tunnel? If the answer ends up being no, and a sizable gap remains, then trading Marchand could very well be in play.
The Bruins want to do right by Marchand, whose No. 63 will some day hang from the TD Garden rafters, but they are also at an inflection point as a franchise and need to think about their future. Marchand could land them multiple premium assets that could jumpstart a retool if they trade him. He could also help said retool as team captain and a still-productive top-six wing if he extends. What the Bruins can’t afford, though, is losing Marchand for nothing as an unrestricted free agent after the season.
2. What do they do with Morgan Geekie?
Geekie had a rough day Sunday, making two mistakes in the build-up to the game’s lone goal. He stopped skating on a race to an icing that he should have won. On the ensuing defensive-zone draw, he briefly gave up on the play to argue for a penalty call after getting his stick slashed out of his hands, giving Marcus Johansson just enough space to get a shot off for a tip-in goal. It was a missed call, but Geekie needed to play through it.
Sunday aside, Geekie has been great going on three months now. His 17 goals since the start of December are tied for 12th in the NHL during that time. Obviously, he has benefited from playing on a line with Pastrnak, but the value of a relatively inexpensive player who has chemistry with your best player should not be discounted.
Geekie is a pending restricted free agent. The Bruins have options here. They can try to get a multi-year extension done now and bypass the whole restricted free agency process. Friedman reported that there have been talks, but obviously no deal yet. Even if they can’t get a deal done before the summer, they could play hardball and still have Geekie under team control for at least one more year.
Or they could allow themselves to be blown away in a trade and move Geekie while his value is at a high point. A productive 26-year-old with size, positional versatility, a $2 million cap hit this season, and team control going forward would, presumably, fetch a nice haul.
3. What can they get for Trent Frederic and Justin Brazeau?
On the unrestricted free agent front, these are the two most obvious candidates to get traded. Frederic is having a down season and is currently week-to-week with a lower-body injury, but reports indicate that there are still contenders who are interested in acquiring him. Third-liners who bring positional versatility and physicality always have value this time of year.
What the Bruins can get in return, though, is now a question. Before Frederic got hurt,
Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli ran through a couple trade comparables and speculated that the Bruins could get a second-round pick for Frederic. Could that still be on the table? Is it now a third? Fourth? The Bruins will be hoping there’s still a bidding war. If there’s not, they’ll have to take what they can get unless there’s a late change of heart and they extend Frederic instead.
Brazeau is an interesting one. His value was probably higher a month and a half ago when he was scoring with more regularity. Now he’s gone 11 games without a point. Still, 10 goals, 10 assists and a 6-foot-6 frame on a league minimum contract is nothing to sneeze at. Brazeau played well in the playoffs last year, too. There should be at least some level of interest if Sweeney decides to move him.
4. Will they move any core players with term?
Among this group, Brandon Carlo is the name that has popped up the most in trade rumors and reports. While this hasn’t been Carlo’s best season overall, the Bruins could still get quite a bit in return, and would need to in order to pull the trigger.
Right-shot defensemen who can play a shutdown role, kill penalties and handle tough matchups are always in demand this time of year. Carlo is signed for two more years after this at a reasonable $4.1 million cap hit. He is still just 28. He just had an especially strong weekend. Of course, those are also arguments for just keeping Carlo unless Sweeney is blown away.
Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha are worth mentioning here as well, although their names haven’t been as prominent in rumors. Coyle is 33 and signed for one more year after this at $5.25 million. That’s not as attractive as Carlo’s contract, especially with a major dip in Coyle’s production this season, but third-line centers who can play in all situations are nonetheless a sought-after commodity.
Zacha would be very attractive if Sweeney entertained offers. He can play pretty much anywhere in a top nine. He plays in all situations. He’s signed for two more years after this at an affordable $4.75 million, and is still just 27. There wouldn’t really seem to be any reason for the Bruins to trade Zacha, but again, Sweeney should at least be open to getting blown away.
5. Will there be any additions?
It won’t be a rental. At least it shouldn’t be. The Bruins simply aren’t in a position to trade away assets for short-term fixes.
But an impact player with term on his contract? If the right deal presents itself, Sweeney might consider parting with picks or prospects.
“We will look at all opportunities to improve our team now, but more importantly, moving forward,” Sweeney said last week.
Sweeney also mentioned the possibility of “positional shifts,” which would seem to mean looking at “hockey trades” – trading away a roster player at one position for a roster player at another. That is also something worth considering.
Selling or retooling, which certainly looks like the most likely path this week, doesn’t mean Sweeney should 100% rule out bringing in players. It just has to make sense, and that means players who can help for years to come, not just the rest of this season. Trades of that nature are generally more likely to happen in the offseason, however.
