If Bruins trade Loui Eriksson, can Frank Vatrano fill the void in Boston?
COMMENTARY
The Bruins and their fans are finally seeing exactly the version of Loui Eriksson they were hoping for when he was acquired from Dallas in what’s come to be known as the “Tyler Seguin Trade’’ of July 4, 2013.
On the day the slowly maturing but offensively gifted Seguin was given his independence from Boston, the Bruins welcomed a high-scoring, defensively-responsible left wing who seemed prepared to step in and produce immediately.
Then he didn’t.
Concussions limited Eriksson’s productivity in his first year in Boston, when he tallied just 10 goals and 37 points in 61 games. In his second season with the Bruins, Eriksson remained healthy and notched a not quite fulfilling 22 goals and 47 points last year. In his previous four full seasons with the Stars before coming to Boston, he averaged 30 goals and 70 points.
As his performance has improved this season, many Bruins fans have fallen in love with the idea of dealing Eriksson ahead of Monday’s NHL trade deadline. With his current contract ending after this season, a trade would ensure the Bruins get value for the 30-year-old with 23 goals and 48 points in 61 2015-2016 contests instead of potentially losing him for nothing in free agency.
Bruins president Cam Neely confirmed Thursday there have been talks of an extension and a contract’s been offered, but there’s no telling whether it’s fair market value for what he could expect in free agency.
It seems there are three options for the Bruins regarding Eriksson: re-sign him for big dollars, get something for him in a trade (a future first-round draft pick and a prospect seems reasonable based on Andrew Ladd’s move from Winnipeg back to Chicago), or make a playoff run with him this season before letting him walk.
If Eriksson is shipped out for picks or prospects, who can fill the void?
Many believe that player can be left winger Frank Vatrano, a 21-year-old native of East Longmeadow, Mass. The UMass product has already enjoyed a 30-game run in Boston this year. Consistent offensive contributions were an issue during that stint, but he scored six goals and added an assist.
With the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League, Vatrano has dominated this season, tallying 23 goals and 34 points in 22 games (entering Friday’s game). He’s had 13 of those goals and nine helpers in just a dozen outings since returning from the parent club, including two goals and an assist in his first game back, a 4-1 win over Springfield on Jan. 22.
“He was playing well before he went to Boston, so he’s just picked up where he left off,’’ Providence Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said by phone. “He got confidence up there. He’s found good chemistry with [Austin] Czarnik or [Seth Griffith], whoever he’s played with. The guy wants to score and he’s got a shooter’s mentality. With his release, he catches a lot of goalies late before they get set. Now it’s a matter of him building his overall game.’’
By Cassidy’s estimation, the youngster’s release is already second to none in the AHL and as good as anyone’s in Boston, short of perhaps Matt Beleskey. He just wants to score.
“His eyes light up,’’ Cassidy said. “Some guys light up when they have a chance for a big body check. His eyes light up when he has the chance to get to a scoring area and a puck’s gonna show up.’’
But is Vatrano prepared to step in for Eriksson alongside the likes of Davids Krejci and Pastrnak?
“They’re different players, but he can certainly add offense,’’ Cassidy said. “He scored some goals while he was there and those numbers will only grow, like most players, the more he gets comfortable.
“If Frankie were to go up, I think he’d certainly bring some of the things Loui brings, but he doesn’t have Loui’s overall game. He’s not a penalty kill guy (Eriksson plays nearly two shorthanded minutes a night). He may grow into that down the road. And obviously Loui’s played, what, 10 years in the NHL? He’s got the composure along the wall, all the things young wingers need to learn, but — the offensive part — I think he’ll definitely score. He doesn’t have his defensive game yet.’’
In a scenario where the Bruins need Vatrano to step right in for Eriksson, he would have teammates capable of getting him the puck in places on the ice he can make an impact.
“He’d get available to shoot the puck and drive the net,’’ Cassidy said. “I don’t think he can make the plays yet that maybe Loui can in traffic, the composure part, because he thinks shot-first more than dish. But if he’s open in the slot, David generally finds people. Pasta does as well. I think he’d complement them well as a good finisher on the line.’’
Pastrnak shared brief time on a line with Vatrano and Griffith in Providence when he was recovering from a finger injury. There was instant chemistry. That trio — led by Vatrano’s hat trick and two assists — combined for 13 points in an 8-1 thumping of the Falcons Jan. 29.
“Everybody knows he’s a shooter,’’ Pastrnak said of Vatrano after that win. “All you need to do is just give him the puck. Great skater, just follow what he needs to give him the puck, that’s what Griffith and I were trying to do.’’
Whether or not a trade involving Eriksson provides Vatrano’s next opportunity, Cassidy believes the first-year pro has a promising NHL future.
“He’s got a good one,’’ he said. “He still has to round out his overall game; his play away from the puck, his awareness, his stick position are all areas he can get better, and being first on the forecheck, but he’s working on them. As a winger, you tend to defend a lot in your own end in a static position so you’re not able to close on people. It’s generally not your responsibility until [the puck] goes up to the point, but you still have to have a good stick in lanes and to make sure pucks don’t go through you and by you and that’s an area he needs a little more awareness and anticipation.
“Between the blue lines, he manages the puck well most nights, but he’s got a good idea of where it needs to go into the playmaker’s hands. Down the road, Frankie could bring a little more physical presence on the forecheck to establish himself on the nights he’s not finding pucks. He can get in there and knock some guys around.
“I can’t say he’s 100 percent ready,’’ Cassidy added. “That’s Claude [Julien]’s decision once he’s there. I think if he went up tomorrow, he would help their lineup, let’s put it that way.’’
Bruins’ top trade targets
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