Don Sweeney is making and taking phone calls. The Bruins general manager is anxious to deal to improve his aging roster.
Sweeney’s challenge is to obtain value for players who aren’t necessarily among the trade market’s leaders. It’s one thing, for example, for Toronto to receive a first-rounder from Pittsburgh as part of a package for 24-year-old Kasperi Kapanen (36 points, $3.2 million average annual value). Whether a similar market exists for 24-year-old Anders Bjork (19 points, $1.6 million) remains to be seen.
Following are the tiers for 34 players in the organization. They’re classified by six categories of calls Sweeney would have with his fellow GMs.
1. Don’t bother calling
W Brad Marchand
D Charlie McAvoy
W David Pastrnak
2. Make it fast, I’m hanging up soon
C John Beecher
C/W Jack Studnicka
G Jeremy Swayman
3. I’ll listen, but I’m not really listening
C Patrice Bergeron
C/W Charlie Coyle
G Jaroslav Halak
G Tuukka Rask
4. Let’s talk business
W Anders Bjork
W Anton Blidh
D Connor Clifton
C Trent Frederic
D Steve Kampfer
G Kyle Keyser
W Karson Kuhlman
C Jakub Lauko
D Jeremy Lauzon
D John Moore
W Zach Senyshyn
C/W Oskar Steen
D Urho Vaakanainen
G Dan Vladar
W Chris Wagner
D Jakub Zboril
5. All ears if you’ve got a serious hockey deal
D Brandon Carlo
W Jake DeBrusk
D Matt Grzelcyk
W Ondrej Kase
W Nick Ritchie
6. Call back near the deadline
C David Krejci
C/W Sean Kuraly
C/W Par Lindholm
Sweeney’s challenge is to obtain value for players who aren’t necessarily among the trade market’s leaders. It’s one thing, for example, for Toronto to receive a first-rounder from Pittsburgh as part of a package for 24-year-old Kasperi Kapanen (36 points, $3.2 million average annual value). Whether a similar market exists for 24-year-old Anders Bjork (19 points, $1.6 million) remains to be seen.
Following are the tiers for 34 players in the organization. They’re classified by six categories of calls Sweeney would have with his fellow GMs.
1. Don’t bother calling
W Brad Marchand
D Charlie McAvoy
W David Pastrnak
2. Make it fast, I’m hanging up soon
C John Beecher
C/W Jack Studnicka
G Jeremy Swayman
3. I’ll listen, but I’m not really listening
C Patrice Bergeron
C/W Charlie Coyle
G Jaroslav Halak
G Tuukka Rask
4. Let’s talk business
W Anders Bjork
W Anton Blidh
D Connor Clifton
C Trent Frederic
D Steve Kampfer
G Kyle Keyser
W Karson Kuhlman
C Jakub Lauko
D Jeremy Lauzon
D John Moore
W Zach Senyshyn
C/W Oskar Steen
D Urho Vaakanainen
G Dan Vladar
W Chris Wagner
D Jakub Zboril
5. All ears if you’ve got a serious hockey deal
D Brandon Carlo
W Jake DeBrusk
D Matt Grzelcyk
W Ondrej Kase
W Nick Ritchie
6. Call back near the deadline
C David Krejci
C/W Sean Kuraly
C/W Par Lindholm