On Wednesday’s News of the Weekes segment, ESPN analyst and NHL insider Kevin Weekes discussed a few players for the Calgary Flames. Speaking about Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin, Weekes connected the two players to the Boston Bruins. Boston would need to make a significant roster change on both sides in order to pull off a deal.
Weekes referred to Hanifin as a “big defenseman” who had agreed in principle to a deal with the Calgary Flames but backed out, stating he needed some time to consider his options and assess where the team is headed. This was a subtle jab at Hanifin potentially joining Boston. Weekes also called the blueliner a “Bostonian”.Hanifin, a future unrestricted free agent, is attracting a lot of attention in the market and has been strongly connected to Boston by other insiders.
According to Weekes, Lindholm is free agent and has been connected to several teams, most notably the Bruins. He stated that the team’s loss of David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron, which occurred in Bean Town, is well known. Weekes commented, “Cap considerations are always a factor, but he would be a nice fit there.” Weekes wasn’t sure if Lindholm genuinely intended to move on or resign in Calgary.
Thus, how might the Bruins and Flames match up?
Even though Weekes didn’t explicitly state a trade was in the works, it’s reasonable to infer Boston is putting pressure on both players. Additionally, it makes far more sense to assume that they want to sign both players in the offseason rather than waiting to try to sign them for the Bruins’ current postseason run.
The Bruins really can’t add one or both of these players without shifting salary around, given the cap concerns that Weekes brought up. Furthermore, the players they would have to trade had to be valuable assets that the Flames could envision using. For the Flames, this is about now and then later.
When considering forwards the Flames might like, two names immediately come to mind: Jake DeBrusk and Matthew Poitras. DeBrusk is a pending UFA, so the Flames might prefer to avoid the risk of him darting in the summer, or there might need to be a pre-trade discussion regarding an extension. If the Flames were to take the defenseman, the Bruins would like to move Matt Grzelcyk in the deal.Picks would also have to be involved.
It will be difficult enough dealing for one of Hanifin or Lindholm. Taking care of them both would be nearly impossible. The Toronto Maple Leafs attempted to sign Chris Tanev and Nikita Zadorov, but the numbers were simply not right. Boston would need to assemble a compelling package and negotiate a salary while convincing Calgary to stay.
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