Boston Bruins Rumors: Latest Free-Agent and Trade Possibilities

The Steven Stamkos race is supposed to involve a few favorites.

It would not be shocking to see him remain with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Detroit Red Wings have cleared cap space by trading Pavel Datsyuk's contract to Arizona, and it seems clear that they are interested in bringing Stamkos into the fold. Many also expect the Toronto Maple Leafs to make a bid to sign him.

However, several dark-horse teams could emerge by July 1—the first day teams are allowed to sign free agents—and one of those teams could be the Boston Bruins.

Current NHL Network analyst and former Tampa Bay general manager Brian Lawton went on TSN 1050 Toronto on Monday and rated the Boston Bruins as the No. 3 team in the Stamkos derby.

While the Bruins are not known for getting heavily involved in the free-agent market, they have missed the playoffs in each of the last two years. They also traded away a big-time scorer in Tyler Seguin three years ago, and a bona fide scorer like Stamkos could help them return to the postseason and give them a shot of returning to Stanley Cup contention.

Stamkos has broken the 50-goal barrier twice in his career, and he has averaged 39 goals per season in his first eight years. He will almost certainly be the top free agent signed during the offseason.

The Bruins signed a huge free-agent superstar 10 years ago, when they corralled defenseman Zdeno Chara. If general manager Don Sweeney wants to mark that anniversary by bringing in another superstar, he has to be prepared to outspend opponents like Toronto, Detroit, Tampa Bay and others.

It might not seem likely, but the Bruins may be having second thoughts about moving Milan Lucic. They traded the burly left winger to Los Angeles during last year's offseason, and they have missed his strength, power and scoring touch since then.

There's a chance that the Bruins may make a move to bring Lucic back to Boston after a one-year absence. Boston sportswriter/broadcaster Jimmy Murphy reports that there is mutual interest between the team and the player. 

It seems more likely that Lucic will stay in the Western Conference, but Lucic was always a fan favorite in Boston, and Sweeney recently praised him and did not close the door on his return.

“The city would embrace [Lucic], the organization has great respect for him,’’ Sweeney told Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe. “There is no question we would explore all players.’’

Since Sweeney usually says very little about outside players, his remarks could indicate that the Bruins may surprise NHL observers by making at least a decent bid to bring back Lucic.

However, late reports indicate that Lucic is likely going to sign with the Edmonton Oilers. Sportsnet reporter Gene Principe tweeted that one source reported that a deal with the Oilers is 95 percent certain, while another said it was 100 percent certain. Nothing is official, though. 

The Bruins appear to need more help on the blue line than they do up front, and they seem likely to continue their pursuit of Kevin Shattenkirk.

The St. Louis defenseman has one year left to go on his contract with the Blues, and TSN's Darren Dreger reported on TSN 690 Montreal that Boston had made an offer to the Blues involving one of their two first-round picks for Shattenkirk prior to the draft.

While the deal was not completed, there is little doubt that Sweeney needs to upgrade the Bruins defense, and Shattenkirk would provide a strong veteran presence.

Nobody is going to call Shattenkirk a star, but the 27-year-old scored 14 goals and 30 assists last year, and he is a fine puck-mover. That's what the Bruins need. However, he finished the season with a minus-14 rating and that indicates that turnovers could be an issue.

Look for the Bruins to make a concerted effort to bring Shattenkirk to Boston. The Blues will most likely want a player from the current roster as well as a prospect and/or a draft pick to make the deal happen.