Are the Bruins’ best trade additions … the ones they held onto?
"They love being Bruins, and it shows in the way they’re playing right now.”
The Bruins’ transaction log last week didn’t steal the same number of headlines as other NHL teams bracing for the postseason.
Suddenly bolstered with a surplus of cap space thanks to Mark Stone’s LTIR status, the Golden Knights swooped in and added top-tier talent like Tomas Hertl and Noah Hanifin. The Carolina Hurricanes added a potent wing in Jake Guentzel.
The Bruins — hampered by minimal cap space and a dearth of appealing assets — opted for more marginal upgrades in fourth-line bruiser Pat Maroon and third-pair blueliner Andrew Peeke.
The Bruins did add some sought-after snarl ahead of the gauntlet that awaits next month.
But Boston’s relatively quiet deadline masked what might have been even larger roster moves for Don Sweeney and Co.
Had it not been for Linus Ullmark’s 16-team, no-trade list, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner might be holding court between the pipes for another team right now — be it on the West Coast or even another team in the Eastern Conference.
Jake DeBrusk — still without a contract and with free agency now just a few more months away — was tabbed as a potential trade piece in a rumored blockbuster deal for Elias Lindholm.
But be it contract snags, unsuitable asking prices, or the myriad of other roadblocks that can stop a deal in its tracks, both Ullmark and DeBrusk remain on Boston’s roster with four weeks left in the regular season.
And be it motivation, relief or a bit of both, Ullmark and DeBrusk have rewarded the Bruins since the deadline with strong play — and could give Boston an added lift come the playoffs now that this deadline drama has passed.
“Those two and other players too who may have had doubts — the trade deadline is just not a fun time for anybody to be around for the week leading up to it,” Jim Montgomery said Thursday night. “We really value those two in particular as people, as teammates and as Boston Bruins. They love being Bruins, and it shows in the way they’re playing right now.”
DeBrusk served as the hero for Boston on Thursday night at Bell Centre, scoring just 25 seconds into overtime to help the Bruins secure a 2-1 win against the Canadiens.
DeBrusk, who expressed a sense of relief earlier this week following the deadline, has now scored two goals and three total points in the three games since the deadline — recording 12 shots on goal over that same stretch.
“Well, I’ve been through it before,” DeBrusk said Thursday of going through the roller coaster of emotions around the trade deadline. “ I think that everybody in this room can agree — it’s a sense of relief when you know where you’re gonna be.
“Obviously, you see guys come in, they’re super excited and it’s just that time of year again, right? … But it’s been good and obviously, tonight was not necessarily our best game as a team, but we found a way.”
Some temporary clarity on his future seems to have done DeBrusk some good, with a strong postseason potentially leading to a long-term deal with Boston — or a hefty pay raise elsewhere once free agency commences in July.
Even though the Bruins seem set on sticking to their goalie rotation through the playoffs, Ullmark has elevated his game as of late.
In his two outings since the deadline, Ullmark is 2-0-0 with a .966 save percentage. Thursday’s win in Montreal wasn’t exactly a taxing performance for the 30-year-old goalie (18 saves on 19 shots), but he did finish with a season-high 38 saves against the Penguins on March 9.
Speaking after that win over Pittsburgh, Ullmark acknowledged that the trade-deadline drama has fueled him with plenty of motivation — with the netminder already looking to rewrite the script following last year’s shocking first-round exit.
“I think I proved what kind of a goaltender I can be last year, definitely,” Ullmark said. “There’s been some ups and downs, obviously, during the season and during this time of period as well. I don’t think that I’ve personally played bad with all the outside noise, which I’ve been very proud of myself to keep battling through and performing.”
Even if a potential Bruins trade involving Ullmark might have come undone last week, Boston could still benefit if a motivated Ullmark plans on channeling those trade whispers and his unsteady future into his play between the pipes.
Be it a galvanizing event in what could be the final season of the Swayman-Ullmark pairing or Ullmark looking to validate his worth to the Bruins, a ticked-off goalie is usually coveted in the postseason — especially if that fuel is converted into stellar play.
The Bruins still have work to do when it comes to determining the futures of both Ullmark and DeBrusk. But those contract/trade talks will be tabled for the summer.
For now, both Ullmark and DeBrusk remain in black-and-gold sweaters.
And however long they remain here, the Bruins are going to need them to keep playing at this level.
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