An era ended for the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, as longtime center and captain Patrice Bergeron announced his retirement. Following the news, the Bruins are in a predicament with their depth down the middle. The Bruins have five listed centers on their roster, but none of them are household names. As a result, the Bruins will need to go shopping for a center, and the New York Islanders could be possible trade partner.
The Islanders themselves also have five centers, but their names make that position of strength. The likes of Mat Barzal, Bo Horvat, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and Casey Cizikas headline that group, with Brock Nelson also capable of playing that position. With the team touting their center depth and Lou Lamoriello looking to make “hockey trades,” perhaps the Bruins and Isles could strike a deal.
Pageau’s name has been in the rumor at times this offseason, and he could be the odd man out. Yes he plays a very dependable two-way game and can be a playoff performer, but his $5 million cap hit poses issues for their salary cap. Not to mention the assets he provide can prove valuable for a team like Boston, who is coming off a Presidents’ Trophy win last season.
While Pageau does make sense for a team like Boston to acquire, the question is what can the Islanders get in exchange? A recent bit of speculation by Stefen Rosner and Andrew Fantucchio of NYIHockeyNow stated that Jake DeBrusk could be part of a potential return for Pageau, which makes sense. The Islanders are still looking for a middle six winger with Zach Parise’s future unknown and Josh Bailey out of the equation. Julien Gauthier helps that area, but a name like DeBrusk could more than sure that position up.
Boston also has a handful of defensemen that the Isles could target, including Matt Grzelyck and Brandon Carlo. The team’s defense is mostly set, but if the Islanders want to supplement their bottom pairing, it makes sense to invest. However, outside of these potential candidates, the pickings are fairly slim from their roster. Various other players signed on with one year contracts, meaning a move is unlikely prior to the Trade Deadline, meaning there might need to be a return of futures.
Although futures can open the door for other trades down the road, the goal for the Islanders is to win now, so an emphasis might be placed on acquiring known commodities. Making a trade also needs to ensure that they can work around any possible departures, as the likes of Horvat or Nelson may need to shift to the center’s role permanently. Regardless of what the Islanders get and how if impacts the roster, it will likely be up to trades for New York to improve their roster prior to opening night, and Lamoriello acknowledges that.
As a result, while the retirement of Bergeron is a loss for the Bruins, it could be a chance for the Islanders’ gain in a trade. They could use the center position, which is a strength, to bolster another position of need. However, in this situation, they have to proceed with caution, as they need to ensure whatever they do makes their roster better.
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Featured image courtesy of NHL.com
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