Bruins Must Trade for a Center to Keep Stanley Cup Dreams Alive Amid NHL Rumors

The sudden retirement of star center and team legend Patrice Bergeron left the Boston Bruins without an obvious replacement at the position.

The uncertainty of David Krejci's future, coupled with a lack of projected standout at the position, leave the Bruins looking at a season with Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha as the most prominent players down the middle.

They are more than capable of filling the role but considering the team has two quality goaltenders as potential trade chips, per Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald, it is time the Bruins explore trading for genuine stars to fill the enormous void left by the future Hall of Famer.

Linus Ullmark is the reigning Vezina Trophy winner and was rather inarguably the best goalie in the sport in the 2022-23 season. With a win-loss record of 40-6 and a goals-against average of just 1.89, he played the position at an elite level.

Jeremy Swayman was 24-6, had a save percentage of .920 and tallied four shutouts.

Both are superb in the net and either one would fetch quality in return, though Swayman would be the more likely option since trading away the best goalie in the game while he is on a relatively team-friendly deal (two seasons, $5 million) would be a silly move for any front office at this point.

Especially considering Ullmark's expansive, 16-team no-trade clause.

There are likely trade targets available to the Bruins, most notably Elias Lindholm and Mark Scheifele, as Conroy mentioned in his report. There is an under-the-radar possibility, though, in Vancouver's JT Miller.

There has not been a day in the last two seasons when Miller's name and trade discussions were not indelibly linked. Even after he signed a seven-year deal last September. Even as the deal went into effect July 1 and the Canucks lost all ability to move the veteran without his approval.

The Canucks need help in the net and the Bruins have it in Swayman, who could easily compete for the primary job or help provide depth at the position, as he does behind Ullmark.

The Bruins need a center and Miller, for his, at times, iffy defense and explosive demeanor, can score goals and tally points. He could provide a veteran presence down the middle and that is something the Bruins do not have in the wake of the Bergeron decision.

The tricky part will be Miller's considerably large deal and whether the Bruins would assume responsibility for it or they would insist on the Canucks assuming some of the $9.5 million due to him this season.

If that piece of the puzzle can be solved, the Stanley Cup-hungry Bruins absolutely must explore the deal, if nothing else. If it is not feasible, or if either side has hesitations, the team can fall back on Lindholm of Calgary or Scheifele of Winnipeg.

Regardless of how they do it, the team needs to make the necessary moves to deal for a center because their competitors in the East have spent the offseason getting better while the team with the most wins in NHL history in 2022-23 has lost key, crucial players.