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Bruins: Pre-Draft Talk

By Robert Doherty

Feb 16, 2016; Columbus, OH, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Loui Eriksson (21) against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. The Bruins won 2-1 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 16, 2016; Columbus, OH, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Loui Eriksson (21) against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. The Bruins won 2-1 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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The 2016 NHL draft is only hours away now and the Bruins still have a ton to figure out.

Don Sweeney is still in talks with the Loui Eriksson camp somehow. At this point it should be a done deal in either direction. The hold up seems to be the length of the deal, Erksson wants six years and the Bruins are offering four. Erksson is turning 31 this summer so a six year deal for a team that is in transition makes no sense.  If Eriksson walks away he becomes one of the biggest blunders Sweeney has had. He should have been moved at the deadline, end of story. Now he still has a chance to trade his rights for a mid round pick, he cant drop the ball on this again.

Some other UFA’s that Sweeney admitted he is in talks with include Lee Stempniak and John-Michael Liles. That seems like a complete waste of time, both players came in at the deadline and had a minimal impact, not to mention they cost real assets to obtain. Cut your losses on them and let them go. Colin Miller deserves regular NHL minutes, and a player like Seth Griffith should get a good like this year instead of Stempniak. Sweeney needs to be able to walk away from veteran players that don’t fit.

Sweeney mentioned that Zach Trotman will be testing the market this summer. After bringing back Kevan Miller the writing was on the wall for Trotman who got his shot to prove he can play at the NHL level. Trotman is a bottom pairing player and will likely find a new home, he is only 25 years old.

This season might finally be the first year that we get to see the 2012 first round pick Malcolm Subban with a full time gig for the Bruins. According to Sweeney, Subban is a strong candidate for the vacant back up goalie spot. This is make a break for Subban who is going to be a restricted free agent next summer, teams will surely be interested in him.

The Bruins as of now own the 14th and 29th pick in the first round of the 2016 draft. Sweeney is currently exploring all options with those picks, there were reports last week that the Bruins had offered the 29th pick for Kevin Shattenkrik. If that is the case Sweeney will be exploring up until its time to make the pick, number 29 is not going to get you a top pairing defenseman, sorry. Sweeney went on to say that he feels good about making both picks if it comes to that.

Next: Celtics Post-Draft Analysis

The Bruins need to make a move this weekend, and making both picks would not be a great sign for this upcoming season.

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