Sweeney on prowl
Considers trades, free agents
BUFFALO — Don Sweeney, like 29 other general managers here for the NHL draft, has more than a few balls in the air this weekend. There are his own free agents he wants to sign. There is the period in which free agents around the league can start talking to other teams. And there, of course, is the lengthy process of drafting the players who will — fingers crossed — be the future of the organization.
But if there is one thing that the Bruins GM would love to accomplish, it is to obtain a top-four NHL defenseman. But he maintained he doesn’t want to mortgage the future to get that job done.
“We’ve been in communication about a lot players,” said Sweeney. “We haven’t hidden the fact that we’d like to add a defenseman. And I’ve said all along, we have younger players that, if we don’t find the right fit, these guys are going to be given an opportunity. And more than likely you’ll find a surprise in that group as well. But we would like to add and strengthen our team.”
Tampering rules precluded Sweeney from mentioning any of the names that he’s been inquiring about but there are some big ones being rumored. The biggest one came to the forefront yesterday when it was reported the Edmonton Oilers could be working on a deal with the Montreal Canadiens for P.K. Subban. One would think it’s highly unlikely that the B’s would be able to pull off a deal of that magnitude with their archrival, but there are other players out there.
The Blues’ Kevin Shattenkirk has long been linked with the Bruins, as has the Wild’s Mathew Dumba. The Ducks’ Cam Fowler has also surfaced in trade rumors.
The pool did get smaller recently with Sami Vatanen re-signing with the Ducks, and UFAs Keith Yandle and Alex Goligoski signing with Florida and Arizona, respectively. But Sweeney said there are still players to be had.
“There’s supply everywhere,” he said. “There are teams that we’re having discussions with; players that you might not even expect they’d be available. It’s just a matter of whether it all lines up. We have targets, we have people that we think can improve our hockey club and there are plenty of them still available. Whether or not they land, I can’t say tonight that I’m certain one of them is going to come our way, but we’re in talks with several of them.”
The B’s own the 14th and 29th picks in the first round of the NHL draft tonight. They could be dealt, but Sweeney said there would have to be a significant return if he’s to move the 14th.
The trade market would seem to be the route to go as opposed to the UFA market. The defense crop is already thin, and the Panthers demonstrated that prices will be high when they signed the soon-tobe 30-year-old Yandle to a seven-year deal worth $44.5 million on Wednesday.
“Nothing really surprises you anymore in terms of one player being a perfect fit for a particular team,” said Sweeney. “There are always comparables, whether it’s an RFA comparable or a UFA comparable that you can work with. You can always find one that’s sitting in right field and one that’s sitting in left field, but it takes two sides to make a deal. That (Yandle) situation was right for (Florida) and we’ll explore what’s right for us.”
Sweeney said he remains bullish on the crop of young defensemen in the Bruins system, mentioning Brandon Carlo, Robbie O’Gara and Matt Grzelcyk. He said he would be comfortable to sit back and allow one or more of those players to seize a spot if the asking prices are too high.
“Would I like to accelerate if we possibly can and find the right fit? That’s what the business is about. We’re a competitive business in a market that wants to win. I can tell you that nobody wants to win more than I do, in anything that I do. But I’m not going to put my team in a bad situation going forward,” said Sweeney.