It’s time for another edition of NHL rumours for the weekend. We’re closing in on the March 8 NHL trade deadline. General managers are going to have to make some decisions about players. Will teams go all-in or will teams have to retool? The arms race to get Stanley Cup Playoff pieces is on and has been since earlier in the month. Today’s NHL rumours deal with the Boston Bruins and Winnipeg Jets.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Boston Bruins
Rumour: During 32 Thoughts with Elliotte Friedman, the Sportsnet insider said the Bruins are looking to upgrade at centre and defence. However, the Bruins might have to deal players off the current roster in order to make a deal happen.
32 Thoughts Friday news and information podcast. Links to your preferred platform, here: https://t.co/io7Mr1QEpm
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 23, 2024
Analysis: It’s no secret that General Manager Don Sweeney would like to strengthen the middle and the back end of the roster. However, the Bruins can’t trade draft picks at this time. Friedman and Jeff Marek said that they may have to deal current players on the roster to make a trade happen. Boston doesn’t have a pick at the 2024 NHL Draft until the fourth round. The team also has a number of young prospects that they deem as untouchable.
We mentioned in a previous edition of NHL rumours that Noah Hanifin is a desired target of Sweeney’s. Players like Jake DeBrusk and Matt Grzelcyk were mentioned in that rumours roundup that dropped earlier in the week. However, this could make sense as a hockey trade as previously mentioned.
A name that came up was goalie Linus Ullmark. However, Friedman stressed that it would take a blockbuster trade to make a deal happen. Both Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman have been splitting time in the crease for Boston. Ullmark does have a modified no-trade clause of 16 teams this year that only drops by one team for next year.
Marek mentioned that having two talented goalies is a luxury and the Bruins could spin that into making a deal. Another factor is that Swayman is an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent and dealing Ullmark or others could give Sweeney room to give Swayman a raise.
Winnipeg Jets
Rumour: David Pagnotta and Anthony DiMoro of The Fourth Period said that the Jets are interested in adding players to their lineup. One name that came up was Philadelphia Flyers centre Scott Laughton.
Analysis: Laughton is another name that has popped up in a previous edition of NHL rumours. The veteran pivot has a relatively low-cost salary cap hit of $3 million until the end of the 2025-26 season. Philadelphia does seem to be ahead of schedule, but that won’t prevent Flyers General Manager Daniel Briere from at least gauging interest.
Winnipeg is one of the best defensive teams in the league. Adding Laughton will help the club shore up some depth down the middle. The Jets might also want to add some more offensive pop to their lineup, but adding Laughton would be a smart play.
Laughton is someone that is a veteran and part of the leadership group in Philadelphia. Briere has stated before that he’s not eager to deal the Oakville, Ontario native. However, it doesn’t hurt to at least listen as mentioned before.
The Flyers have been a pleasant surprise this season. There could be some temptation for Briere to add and bolster the lineup. However, it doesn’t seem that Briere wants to deviate from the plan of a deliberate rebuild. Philadelphia’s general manager is getting interest on a number of players like Nick Seeler, Sean Walker and others. All of these players would make good additions to a contender. However, Laughton might be the best value for a contender like Winnipeg.
Main photo by: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
