Trade in the Works?

The start to the Boston Bruins season has been pretty promising to this point, and many will point out the fact that the team will get back talented veteran forwards Marc Savard and Marco Sturm once they return from long term injuries. What many fans may not know off hand, however, is that the Bruins will need to clear off $7.5 million in cap space before Savard and Sturm can return to the NHL squad. Their options? Blake Wheeler, Michael Ryder, and Matt Hunwick are all names that keep surfacing in the rumors swirling around the black and gold.

Let's start with Wheeler. I've heard mixed reactions -- mostly in favor of trading him -- out of the 6'5" forward out of Minnesota. Overall, Wheeler has been a relative disappointment from a production standpoint after a promising rookie campaign that saw him net 21 goals and compete for rookie of the year honors. His plus-minus rating dropped from +36 in his rookie season to -4 last season, and his playoff performance seemed like the nail in the coffin for most fans who were calling for his departure. His cap hit after signing a deal with the B's this offseason is $2.2 million, so that won't come close to filling the entire $7.5 million gap. Still, he might be an integral piece to collectively shipping out that sum of salary.

What about Michael Ryder? At the end of the regular season last year, not a single Bruins fan would have objected if they chose to trade him for a bag of pucks or a carton of empty water bottles. In the postseason, though, Ryder looked rejuvenated and had some jump in his step. Carrying over to the beginning of this season, Ryder has finished for goals twice -- with rookie Tyler Seguin grabbing helpers on both goals -- and has also assisted on two more goals. You could make the case that Ryder has recovered his old scoring touch and that he can be a significant impact player on the B's this season. But at $4 million on the cap, that might be too big a risk to take. There's a good chance the Bruins play his early success to their advantage and try to use that in the trade market.

That brings us to Matt Hunwick, the least rumored trade bait of the three. Many believe that Hunwick could be in the mix due to his lack of progression since his impressive rookie showing. At a cap hit of $1.45, Hunwick's salary isn't exactly a killer for the Bruins. Still, he could be the piece that gets them over the hump to allow Marc Savard and Marco Sturm back into the lineup. It happens to be bad timing now that Johnny Boychuk is out for a month with a broken forearm, but ultimately, everyone in the B's organization feels that they have the necessary depth in prospects and young talents to fill any void left by a third-pair defenseman like Hunwick. He's a puck-moving defenseman with great skating ability and a good amount of potential, so we'll have to see if any teams in the market are choosing to be buyers on the Hunwick front. 

Maybe all of these guys will get traded. Maybe some of them will. Maybe none of them will. It all remains to be seen, but the Bruins need to make some kind of transaction if they want to bring back Savard and/or Sturm once they are healthy. How soon are we talking? Originally, they were penciled in as December returns. This morning, though, both guys were on the ice skating before the B's practice began. Reports indicate that Savard has looked much better over the past week and has made lots of progress. Sturm only skated for the first time today, but regardless, both guys are relatively close to getting back into the picture. When it boils down to the simplest science, that means Peter Chiarelli and the Boston Bruins need to make a decision in the relatively near future.