Bruins acquire defenseman Andrew Peeke in trade with Blue Jackets

The Bruins dealt a 2027 third-round pick and defenseman Jakub Zboril in order to acquire Peeke.

Andrew Peeke struggled to carve out steady playing time for the Blue Jackets this season. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

March 8, 2024

2 minutes to read

The Bruins added an intriguing option for their blue line ahead of Friday’s deadline.

Boston acquired defenseman Andrew Peeke in a deal with the Blue Jackets on Friday, with the Bruins sending defenseman Jakub Zboril and a 2027 third-round pick to Columbus.

Peeke, 25, is a defense-first, right-shot defenseman who struggled to find playing time this season in Columbus — logging just 23 games with the Jackets and averaging 15:37 of ice time per contest.

He was a featured player in the Jackets’ D corps over the previous two seasons, playing in 162 games and averaging 21:22 of ice time. Peeke did block 197 shots last year, but was also a minus-41 on an admittedly dour Columbus roster.

As noted by Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub, of the 325 NHLers to play at least 3,000 minutes over last three seasons — Peeke ranks sixth in blocks per 60 (6.03) and 35th in hits per 60 (6.43).

Peeke is currently signed through the 2025-26 season, but doesn’t exactly have a team-friendly cap hit at $2.75 million — and could have been staring at a potential buyout this summer if Columbus didn’t move him.

A change of scenery might be needed for Peeke, but it remains to be seen how Boston accounts for his contract — especially with The Athletic’s Chris Johnston reporting that Columbus is not retaining any salary in the deal.

The Bruins could manufacture some cap space if they were to place Derek Forbort on long-term injured reserve — with the stay-at-home D still hampered with a nagging injury.

If Boston believes that Peeke has more to give in a new system, the team could view him as part of a reworked third pairing next season alongside Parker Wotherspoon — who inked a one-year, $800,000 extension with Boston on Friday morning.

Considering that Boston also relinquished a future third-round pick in this deal, the Bruins are betting on stronger returns for Peeke now that he’s been plucked out of Columbus. Granted, Boston also could have targeted him as a value add this offseason if the Jackets opted to buy out his deal.

Zboril, drafted 13th overall by Boston during its infamous 2015 NHL Draft, played 76 total games with Boston over four seasons.

His best season with the Bruins came during the 2020-21 campaign — logging 42 games and averaging 17:03 of ice time in a third-pairing role. But the Czech skater suffered a torn ACL in December 2021 and has struggled to find his game since that knee injury.

Zboril has spent the entire 2023-24 season with the Providence Bruins, playing in 31 games and posting a minus-5 rating.