The Colorado Avalanche played in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Sunday. But their general manager was three hours away, kicking up NHL trade rumor winds in his wake.
NHL trade rumors 2017: Bruins and Avalanche GMs spark speculation with press box meeting
Are Joe Sakic and Don Sweeney talking about Gabriel Landeskog again?
Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
Joe Sakic was attending the Montreal Canadiens game in Boston, which is significant for a few reasons. It’s no secret that the Avalanche are the biggest sellers at the NHL trade deadline. It’s also no secret that the Bruins and Canadiens could be buyers.
But the plot thickened!
First, it’s an interesting look at how GMs do business. You’d think, in the social media age, executives would take care to keep discussions with colleagues out of public view. But no, they still just chat against a wall in press boxes.
We should acknowledge that it’s possible Sakic and Sweeney were discussing anything but hockey. Like politics. Or places to eat.
Or the Legion premiere. Or why Sweeney should really watch The Expanse. (We second that, by the way.)
But let’s be honest: it was probably trade stuff. And if the Bruins and Avalanche are talking trade stuff, it might mean that defenseman Brandon Carlo is back on the table.
Word earlier this season is that Sweeney was telling NHL teams the 19-year-old defenseman was off-limits in trade talks. But as recently as a few weeks ago, it sounded like that might’ve changed.
Fluto Shinzawa of The Boston Globe weighed in on the scene and its implications on Monday, including why the Avalanche and Bruins might revisit a Carlo trade.
Carlo hits a whole lot of check marks for any team: 20 years old, 6 foot 5 inches with a long reach and excellent stick skills, right-shot defenseman, earning entry-level dough through 2019, a free-and-easy skating style, and a ceiling that makes coaches dreamy. Every GM is seeking such a package. Considering his assets, Carlo is pretty much untouchable, especially for a Black-and-Gold roster that has defensive shortcomings as well.
Under normal circumstances, the Bruins would tell Carlo-hungry teams like the Avalanche to pound sand. But this is an unusual time for the Bruins. They have fired the winningest coach in team history. They are fighting not just to make the playoffs but to reshape the roster for years to come. They require more presence at left wing behind Brad Marchand. This may be where they take a run at Landeskog.
The counterpoint, of course, came from Sweeney himself a week ago. After he fired Claude Julien, Sweeney acknowledged that there were “shortcomings” in the Bruins’ roster but wouldn’t commit to making a trade at the deadline just for a trade’s sake. (Emphasis ours).
“There will be an opportunity for players to come in and improve our hockey club both internally and obviously, and the trade deadline represents another opportunity. I’m not going to sacrifice the players that we feel are important and integral to how we get better. But if there is an opportunity to improve our hockey club with a long-term view, then that’s what we will do.”
Could Landeskog fit into a long-term vision for the Bruins? Sure. He’s just 24 years old, is signed through 2020-21 and plays a heavy game with skill that just screams Bruins hockey.
But Carlo is part of the long-term vision, as well. He and Charlie McAvoy could anchor the Bruins’ blue line for a long time. Finding ready-made, surefire top-four defensemen through the draft is so difficult. With Zdeno Chara and others on the blue line nearing retirement, is it worth parting with one of those diamond-in-the-rough defensemen just to get Landeskog?
I guess it depends on which vision of the future Sweeney decides to go with: one with deeper forward depth or one with deeper defensive depth. It’s a fascinating crossroads that Sweeney might not even approach. But there’s smoke between the Avalanche and Bruins. We’ll see if any of it amounts to fire.
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