Boston Bruins: Grading 2021 NHL trade deadline moves

The Boston Bruins went out and made some moves at the trade deadline. Don Sweeney had his work cut out for him and it’s safe to say that he took the challenge head on.

Boston made only two total moves, but they made an impact. Boston now has a much deeper roster than they had prior to the deadline.

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It now seems like David Krejci has his winger that he has been desperately desiring and Boston got some help at the blueline.

It also didn’t cost Boston an arm and a leg. All the Bruins had to give up was a young player and a few draft picks.

So let’s get into the players that Boston acquired.

Boston Bruins acquire Taylor Hall, Curtis Lazar, and Mike Reilly

The big name has to be the acquisition of Taylor Hall. He is a great winger who can make a big impact. 2021 hasn’t been the best season for Hall, but he was on the Sabres after all.

In 37 games this season, Hall has two goals and 17 assists. Those still aren’t bad numbers, but Hall will need to score more goals for the Bruins.

Boston also acquired forward Curtis Lazar in the deal. Lazar is still recovering from an injury, but he said in his introductory press conference that he should be able to play for the team relatively soon.

Lazar should be a quality addition to the bottom six as he has five goals and four assists in 33 games this season. He seems to be a perfect candidate for the Bruins fourth line. Chris Wagner or Sean Kuraly could now find themselves being the odd man out.

Now it would seem like the Bruins would be forced to give up some serious talent to acquire Hall, but that wasn’t really the case. All the Bruins had to give up was Anders Bjork and a 2021 second-round pick. While Bjork was an exciting player to watch, getting Hall makes the move worth it.

Prior to the Hall deal, Boston strengthened their blue line with the addition of Mike Reilly. In 40 games the lefty has 19 assists. With all the injuries Boston has at defenseman, this move was very much necessary.

Once again this move didn’t cost the Bruins a lot.  All the Bruins had to give up was a 2022 third-round pick.

So what grade do the Bruins get for their moves?

Sweeney and the Bruins smashed the trade deadline out of the park. The Bruins are now serious contenders and have the chance to bring the Stanley Cup home in 2021.

Hall is a game-changer. He hasn’t played with a center like Krejci yet in his career. It seems like Hall has the potential to be the 2021 version of Nathan Horton. Expect to see a much better version of Hall now that he is in Boston.

Also, the acquisition of Reilly is a crucial one. This ensures that players like Jakub Zboril, Connor Clifton can play their proper roles of being a seventh defenseman who plays when needed.

When the Bruins finally get healthy, Reilly could be paired with Brandon Carlo. This allows for Matt Grzelcyk to be put on the top pairing with Charlie McAvoy.

So the Boston Bruins clearly won the 2021 NHL trade deadline. B’s fans should be very excited about what this team is capable of. It might seem premature but to quote the amazing Dave Goucher, “get the duckboats ready!”