Judging by the tenor of the reports and rumors regarding the Boston Bruins that have come out in recent days, new GM Don Sweeney and team president Cam Neely are determined to alter the current construction of their roster.
Carl Soderberg's rights were dealt to the Avalanche and Dougie Hamilton's name continues to be floated as a potential trade piece ahead of the 2015 NHL Draft Friday night.
Another player who just last offseason most would have considered untouchable, power forward Milan Lucic, has had his name bandied about in trade rumors and reports fairly often in recent days.
Those reports have again come to the fore as the hours prior to the draft dwindle, seemingly putting Lucic's future in the black and gold very much in doubt.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman appeared on Calgary's Sportsnet 960 recently and revealed that during a conversation with an unnamed NHL GM, he got the sense that Lucic is very much available.
"It was another general manager and I was just asking him about Lucic and I said, 'Is this real?,'" Friedman said, via TodaysSlapShot.com. "It's not a guy who is involved with the Bruins and... this is a guy I think he's really plugged in and I just said, 'How real do you think this is?'
"And he said he thinks it's pretty real."
Lucic's down season in 2014-15 and the heavy mileage on his body due to his rugged style of play was said to be of concern to both Sweeney and Neely, according to a report HNGN passed along earlier this week. Lucic appeared in 81 games last season, but simply did not look like himself. His numbers were good - 18 goals, 26 assists - but not good enough for a player making $6 million in annual salary.
Considering he's entering the final year of his deal, there may be no better time to deal him, as ESPN's Craig Custance notes.
"General managers are learning that there's often a better return out there for a guy entering the last year of his contract in the summer before that season starts rather than at the trade deadline, because there are more teams in play. Plus, the acquiring team gets the player for the full season," writes Custance.
"If the Bruins are going to deal Lucic, now is the time. He's entering the last year of his deal, worth $6 million. It would clear up cap space that may be needed to sign Dougie Hamilton and potentially add needed young assets into the organization. It's definitely worth exploring."
Keeping Hamilton may be moot if Sweeney is going to use him for a trade up into the top-three of the draft for Boston College's Noah Hanifin. Still, with just $12 million in cap space at present, moving out $6 million in salary would certainly provide Sweeney with some breathing room and flexibility.
It's this combination of factors and the rumblings around the league that has the unnamed GM that Friedman spoke to feeling like Lucic is very much there for the taking.
"He thinks that the Bruins are - I'll give you a bit of history," said Friedman. "Last year there were some rumors that Lucic was available and Peter Chiarelli shot those down pretty quick, but I just remember around that time talking with guys and having them asking me, 'What have you heard?'
"And that rarely happens. Normally it's me trying to pull information out of them and this time it was them, 'What rumors have you heard?'
"And I think that his name - I think there's a lot of interest in him. So I was just trying to gauge how real it is and where this is going to go. Judging after that conversation, I get the sense it's very real that Boston is seriously considering it."
