The Boston Bruins look like a shell of the winning team they have been in the past under Bruce Cassidy. Now, after GM Don Sweeney fired head coach Jim Montgomery, will the Bruins retool the lineup?
According to Noah Strang of the Daily Hive, via NHL Trade Rumors, the Vancouver Canucks have reached out to the Bruins regarding defenseman Nikita Zadorov.
A defenseman who failed to live up to his $30 million deal, after playing 26 games this season, he's only scored seven points (1 G, 6A) and 52 PIMs.
A year of undisciplined play has made him stand out like a sore thumb, and like Montgomery, Sweeney may have to cut ties with the defenseman.
"Strang cites CHEK's Rick Dhaliwal, who revealed on the 'Halford & Brough Show' that Canucks GM Patrik Allvin initiated contact with the Bruins regarding a potential trade."
There's no timetable for the possibility as the trade, as Rick Dhaliwal suggested despite there being talks, no major ground was covered by Patrik Allvin and Don Sweeney.
"However, Dhaliwal characterized the talks as brief and emphasized they 'weren't major.'"
Attached to the defenseman's contract is a full no-movement clause, which would make a trade difficult for Don Sweeney. However, if GM Don Sweeney is a good manager, he should find a way to sell the defenseman's move back to Vancouver.
The Canucks are third in the Pacific and were contenders last season, and Zadorov was a part of that push in the postseason.
But the pain point for Zadorov might be Allvin, who refused to match the Bruins' $5 million AAV offer.
With that settled, though, that should be a non-factor, unless Zadarov just doesn't like Allvin.
The Canucks desperately need defensive depth, as top defenseman Filip Hronek is out due to an injury.
The Canucks will have to explore further options to get Zadorov to fit under a tight salary cap, including utilizing trades and optimizing space with LTIR to make it work.
"Dhaliwal also referenced Elliotte Friedman's earlier comments about a potential reunion, adding, 'When Elliotte says stuff, you have to read between the lines,' leaving the door open for further developments."
For now, it could be the start of a trade finalized come March.
