Boston Bruins Rumors: Latest Buzz Surrounding John Tavares, Rick Nash and More

The Boston Bruins were not thought of as a prime contender for John Tavares as the season ended and the New York Islanders center was contemplating his future.

However, when the list of teams came out that Tavares meeting with, the Bruins were on it. 

The Bruins sent out their heavyweight leadership Tuesday in their Los Angeles meeting with Tavares. General manager Don Sweeney, team president Cam Neely and head coach Bruce Cassidy sat down with Tavares, according to Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald.

The meeting lasted two hours, and according to John Lu of TSN, it was the briefest of the Tavares pitch meetings to this point.

That may make it even less likely for the Bruins to convince Tavares to join the Bruins. The Bruins have about $12 million in cap space, and it seems certain that if the Bruins are able to bring Tavares in, certain player moves are likely. 

David Krejci, who mans the No. 2 center role behind Patrice Bergeron, could be moved, and so could veteran David Backes. Krejci is scheduled to earn $7.25 million in 2018-19, while Backes has a $6 million salary for the upcoming season.  

However, the Bruins would have to get permission from both players to trade them, because both have full no-trade contracts through the upcoming season, per Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe.

Tom Mihalek/Associated Press

While adding a superstar like Tavares is a dream scenario for the Bruins, they may have to turn their attention to acquiring a new backup goaltender.

Anton Khudobin had an excellent season for the Bruins, but he has not reached an agreement on a new contract with the team. 

Khudobin had a 16-6-0 record last season with a 2.56 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. The going rate for backup goaltenders is $2.25 to $3.25 million, and that represents a significant increase for the goaltender, who made $1.2 million last year.

Conroy said that goaltenders including Carter Hutton, Jonathan Bernier and Robin Lehner could be on Boston's radar.

If Khudobin leaves the Bruins, he may not be the only player leaving the team from last season's second-round playoff team. Rick Nash, who was acquired at the trade deadline from the New York Rangers, has been contacted by at least five teams, according to TSN NHL insider Darren Dreger.

The Bruins had high hopes that Nash would be a key contributor to their playoff run, but he struggled with consistency after coming back from a concussion in the regular season. 

If the Bruins are unable to come to an agreement with Tavares, their interest in Nash could increase.