NHL Rumors: Teams Calling Bruins About 2 Players

According to Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic, teams are calling the Boston Bruins about Urho Vaakanainen and Jack Studnicka.

At this point of the season, the Bruins have a 26-14-3 record and hold the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Thus, they are expected to be buyers this deadline season and specifically on the hunt for a second-line center. Naturally, these two prospects could be heading to another team because of it.

Shinzawa also noted that it is hard to judge both of their trade values, however. This is because neither of them has cemented themselves as full-time NHLers and are getting older for prospect standards. However, they have had moments where they each have shined, too.

Vaakanainen has looked very good since being called up by the Bruins this season. In 13 games this campaign, he has four assists and a plus-4 rating. He's taken a noticeable step forward, but it's still hard to determine if the 2017 first-round pick can blossom into a legitimate top-four defenseman. He is, however, starting to look like a solid bottom-pair caliber player.

This was the year that Studnicka should have been able to fight his way up to Boston's lineup permanently. However, at this point of the campaign, he has yet to become a mainstay for them. In five games with the NHL team, he has one assist. He is having a decent year with the Providence Bruins, though. In 26 contests, he has six goals and 12 assists. The team would like to see him take that next step, but it's hard to predict if he will develop into a top-six forward at this juncture.