Sometime this offseason, a general manager could approach Don Sweeney with interest in Matt Grzelcyk or Mike Reilly. The Bruins GM would be foolish to dismiss either scenario just because of Charlie McAvoy’s six-month post-surgery unavailability.
David Pastrnak is watching.
Nobody is replacing McAvoy. He is one of the NHL’s best all-around defensemen, even if Norris Trophy consideration is not in his future. McAvoy executes all of his actions — net-front coverage, defensive-zone exits, support of offensive rushes, open-ice slams — at high pace and dependability.
Advertisement
So while it is all well and good to take a defenseman-by-committee approach to pick up the pieces McAvoy leaves behind until December, it would be an unfulfilling exercise. McAvoy will be out. The Bruins will be worse for it. So would every team that loses its second-most important player. It just so happens that the Bruins will already be down their most critical contributor, with Brad Marchand likely unavailable until late November or early December.
As painful as it will be to proceed without McAvoy, the long-term benefit of trading Grzelcyk or Reilly is worth the short-term wallop. If Sweeney pulls off a deal for futures, the GM would receive two much-needed resources in return: cap relief and draft picks.
For the present, trading Grzelcyk ($3,687,500 average annual value) or Reilly ($3 million) would give the Bruins breathing room to reinforce the center position. It is their biggest need. Perhaps that would involve convincing Patrice Bergeron or David Krejci to return. Maybe both of them.
Or maybe cap relief would allow the Bruins to explore a trade. It may be beneficial for Mark Scheifele and the Jets, for example, to come to a mutual parting. By trading one of their five left-shot defensemen, it could give Sweeney an opening to raise his hand for Scheifele in a separate deal, even if more dough has to go the other way to accommodate the 29-year-old center’s $6.125 AAV.
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) June 3, 2022
If Grzelcyk or Reilly exits, the Bruins have blue-line alternatives to limp along until McAvoy is good to go. Brandon Carlo and Connor Clifton can take on more even-strength shifts. Hampus Lindholm can work the point on the No. 1 power-play unit. A four-man cohort of Lindholm, Carlo, Clifton and Derek Forbort can share penalty-killing shifts. Jakub Zboril and Jack Ahcan are available as depth help.
Advertisement
The Bruins, in other words, have options on defense, even in the worst-case scenario of McAvoy and Grzelcyk being in the press box for the season opener. They cannot say the same about center. Running Erik Haula and Charlie Coyle as their top two pivots would be playing with fire. The Bruins need a bridge to get them to the next generation — which belongs to Pastrnak.
The right wing likes Boston. He enjoys the company of his teammates. He has never uttered a bad word about the organization.
But Pastrnak is entering the final season of his contract. Even if the Bruins are willing to offer him a max-term eight-year extension, Pastrnak has to see signals of continued competitiveness to commit to a deal. There is no point of being rich if you report to work every day with little chance at winning.
The latter is where the Bruins could be if they don’t address their deficiencies at center and prospects. They need picks, ones that could grow into playmates for Pastrnak (26 years old) and McAvoy (24) as the two organizational pillars ripen into elder statesmen. So far, it looks like Fabian Lysell (first round, 2021) and Mason Lohrei (second round, 2020) could become such players.
The Bruins need more. Otherwise, without proof of possible future success, Pastrnak may decline to put pen to paper. It would force the Bruins to trade their franchise winger instead of letting him walk for nothing. They don’t want either scenario to take place.
The option of stashing McAvoy and Marchand, for starters, on long-term injured reserve would allow the Bruins to exceed the cap by all or some of their combined $15.625 million AAV. It would be a temporary solution. The Bruins would have to clear space before activating both of their superstars. By then, rival teams would be shorter in cap space and assets than they are this summer.
It may seem counterintuitive to weaken a position via trade that is already compromised following McAvoy’s procedure. But the Bruins don’t have many other choices.
(Photo of Charlie McAvoy: Steve Babineau / NHLI via Getty Images)