Bruins Rumors: Blockbuster Potential as Goaltender's Name Coming Up in Trade Talk

The Boston Bruins are a little hamstrung at the trade deadline, in that they don't have a lot of assets to offer in order to bring in an impact player that they might covet. Unless... they dip into their elite goaltending duo of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman. 

At five years younger, and looking like the stronger pick of the two going forward, the Bruins will likely have no inclination whatsoever to trade Swayman. But Ullmark?

According to Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now, Ullmark has come "back into play" as a potential trade piece as we are now just two weeks out from the deadline on March 8th. 

When speaking to NHL sources during the Bruins’ recent seven-game homestand, Ullmark’s name came up a few times as being a possible trade chip that Bruins general manager Don Sweeney was potentially thinking about using again.

In addition, TNT studio analyst and Spittin Chiclets co-host Paul Bissonnette offered a similar sentiment Wednesday night, as he made reference to the B's still looking to improve their center depth, and possibly using the reigning Vezina Trophy winner to attract a big piece up the middle.

In particular, Bissonnette took umbrage with Charlie Coyle still holding down the second-line center spot in Boston.

"They’re relying heavily on the top-two center role for Charlie Coyle, and he’s been pointless, I believe, in his last six or seven," said Bissonnette. "I would say on a Stanley Cup team, Charlie Coyle is probably a third-line center. So it definitely, in my opinion, is an area that they have to address. That’s why I keep reiterating that maybe it is time to come off one of their goaltenders to try and go get a piece like that out there."

It would be a bold move by Sweeney, as the Jennings Trophy winning pairing between the pipes have led the Bruins to another first-place run in the Atlantic Division thus far this season. 

Swayman is 18-6-7 with a 2.47 GAA and .920 save percentage. Ullmark heads into Thursday night's game against the Calgary Flames at 16-6-4 with a 2.72 GAA and a .914 Sv%.

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