BOSTON — Heading into his first trade deadline as general manager of the Boston Bruins, Don Sweeney’s biggest task was to resolve the situation with pending free agent Loui Eriksson.
When the deadline passed at 3 p.m. on Monday, Eriksson was still with the Bruins and he did not have a contract extension. Eriksson is in the final year of a six-year contract with an annual salary cap charge of $4.25 million, and at the end of the season, he can become an unrestricted free agent.
The 30-year-old Eriksson is tied for second on the Bruins in points (48) and goals (23) and is third among Bruins forwards in average ice time (19:38) while playing a major role on the power play and penalty kill. The Bruins are currently in a playoff position as the third-place team in the Atlantic Division, one season after failing to make the postseason for the first time in eight years. With that in mind, Sweeney said he was willing to hang on to Eriksson.
Instead of trading Eriksson, Sweeney made two trades to acquire supplemental players. The Bruins acquired forward Lee Stempniak, 33, from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick in 2016 and a second-round draft pick in 2017. They also acquired defenseman John-Michael Liles, 35, for a third-round draft pick in 2016, a fifth-round pick in 2017 and Anthony Camara.
In 63 games, Stempniak has 16 goals and 41 points. Liles has six goals and 15 points in 64 games.
The Bruins have two first-round picks this year, and may end up with two second-round picks as well because Edmonton must send Boston its second-rounder in either 2016 or 2017 as compensation for hiring former Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli as president and general manager last year. Because of that stockpile and a nice stable of prospects, Sweeney said it was easier to part with draft picks to add to this season’s team.
The league said there were 19 trades involving 37 players completed. That’s lower than last year’s numbers of 24 trades and 43 players, but it marked the 15th straight deadline day in which at least 30 players were dealt.
There were a few splashes made, mostly in the Western Conference by teams including Anaheim and Colorado as the afternoon deadline arrived.
Avalanche GM Joe Sakic delivered on his intent to provide Colorado’s playoff run one more push. And Dallas added defensive depth by landing nine-year veteran Kris Russell in a trade with Calgary in exchange for defensemen Jyrki Jokipakka and Brett Pollock and a conditional second-round draft pick. Russell has 174 shot blocks in just 51 games this season.
But the day was largely notable for the names who didn’t move.
Most notable – Jonathan Drouin’s future with the Lightning remains uncertain after his agent went public with his client’s trade demands in December. Drouin was unhappy over being demoted to the minors and has since left the AHL Syracuse Crunch to work out on his own in Montreal.
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