Bruins' Top Players to Target and Avoid at 2022 NHL Trade Deadline

The March 21 NHL trade deadline comes down to three options: a team is either buying, selling or standing pat.

The Boston Bruins' position should give them an easy decision: they should be buyers.

The time between now and the deadline is all about Boston deciding what players to target around the league who will improve its roster.

The Bruins (36-18-5) have the ninth-best record in the NHL and hold the Eastern Conference's first wild-card spot. They always seem to be in the hunt for playoff success, and despite the Perfection Line, this season's team is known for having one of the most impenetrable defenses in the league.

"They're really good at tightening up the neutral zone and having a really tight gap," Arizona Coyotes head coach Andre Tourigny said of the Boston blue line, per The Athletic's Fluto Shinzawa. "They're one of the teams that forces the most dump-ins in the league. They play really well in their zone. They're top-three in the league for expected goals for [percentage]. They are stingy. That's what I respect a lot about the Bruins. They've been competitive for years."

But as good as Boston's defense is, they still need help.

"They need defensemen," an NHL director of player personnel told Shinzawa. "They need a center and a left D. A five or a six, penalty-killer."

The Bruins will likely also look for some assistance at center. Here's an early look at the players Boston should and shouldn't execute deals for ahead of the deadline.

Jakob Chychrun, Arizona Coyotes, Defenseman

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When it comes to making a trade, it's not just about need. More often than not, it's also about the money.

Luckily for Boston, Jakob Chychrun is a good fit on both fronts.

The left-shot Arizona Coyotes defenseman is one of this year's top trade deadline targets for a reason. The 6'2", 220-pound rising star has seven goals and 14 assists for 21 points this season and can play both sides, direct the play up-ice and has excellent vision, awareness and puck-moving skills.

Last season, he led the NHL in goal-scoring by defensemen, and at 23, he is only going to get better.

If acquired, he could fill a lot of holes for the Bruins.

The only issue is health.

Chychrun suffered a lower-body injury Saturday—incidentally against Boston. The early sense, per insider Pierre LeBrun, is that the injury is not too serious, but teams are waiting on the results of the MRI.

Should the blueliner be good to go, the Bruins would likely have to pay a hefty price to bring him to Beantown.

"On the Jakob Chychrun market: Had one NHL GM tell me today that the price is going to be off-the-charts high," ESPN's Greg Wyshynski tweeted. "That this isn't going to be a 'first and two top prospects' type of deal. The Arizona Coyotes are swinging for fences on the ask, apparently."

So the big question is whether Boston is willing to pay Arizona's asking price. If they do, not only would they get a great player, but they would also get one on an affordable contract.

Chychrun is owed just $4.6 million annually through 2025.

J.T. Miller, Vancouver Canucks, Center

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Boston still needs a replacement for David Krejci in the No. 2 center position.

Charlie Coyle briefly filled that role but was soon moved back to the third-line center role.

With Erik Haula—who has never put up more than 55 points in a season—in the role at present, the Bruins need to find a second-line center by the trade deadline.

One of the best candidates is J.T. Miller.

The 29-year-old has 70 points (24 goals, 46 assists) in 58 games this year with the Vancouver Canucks, leaving him on the verge of significantly outperforming the career-high 72 points he tallied in 2019-20.

Getting a player like Miller is important because the window for Boston's chances at winning the Stanley Cup is closing, so it's time to swing for the fence to maximize their contention.

Signed through next season for $5.25 million, Miller would have a reasonable salary-cap hit for the Bruins and give them a jolt in offensive production at just the right time.

The only question is whether he'll still be on the trading block since the Canucks have won six of their past 10 games and are fighting for a wild-card berth.

Ryan Carpenter, Chicago Blackhawks, Center

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Ryan Carpenter would give Boston more depth at the center position, but they shouldn't pull the trigger because he would only be a rental because of his status as an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

The 31-year old Chicago Blackhawk is renowned as a penalty-killer and for his physical style of play, both facets that could help the Bruins as they look to make it past the second round of the playoffs for the first time since going to the final in 2018-19.

In 56 games this season, Carpenter has 11 points (three goals, eight assists) and averages 2:11 of penalty kill time.

"If you are looking for a fourth-line guy that can play all three positions, he's that player," a scout told The Athletic's Scott Powers. "He wins draws and kills penalties. I'll trade for someone like that all day."

The Blackhawks are definitely sellers when it comes to the trade deadline, but Boston should pause on dealing for Carpenter until after it addresses its scoring needs.