Lest you come to the conclusion that Zdeno Chara and Brad Marchand are the only names that could find themselves on the trade block this NHL season for the Boston Bruins, we were reminded again on Friday that other pieces of the current Black and Gold core can and, quite possibly will, be shipped off for picks and/or prospects should the current campaign continue its downward trajectory. Bruins forward Loui Eriksson, the subject of many a trade rumor himself last season, is likely still the apple of the Boston management's trade eye, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, per Chris Nichols.
Per Friedman, the Bruins actively attempted to trade Eriksson last year - if you wrote/read about a possible Eriksson trade last season, go ahead and pat yourself on the back - but were obviously unable to find a suitable deal, leading Friedman to suggest that you've "got to think at some point he's getting traded this year."
Unfortunately for Bruins fans hopeful of seeing the decent, if ultimately disappointing, Eriksson shipped elsewhere sometime soon, Friedman also said as part of that interview that at least one GM he's spoken to recently suggested that there's nothing going on in the NHL trade market at present.
The 30-year-old Eriksson, a former second-round pick of the Dallas Stars, joined the Bruins as part of the infamous Tyler Seguin trade. Eriksson suffered through concussion symptoms most of his first year in Boston and is now in his third season with the team. With the concussion issues seemingly behind him, he looked as though he was hitting his trade in 2014-15, though based on the consistent trade rumors surrounding him it seems Boston decision-makers viewed that uptick as more of a potential trade value increase and less as a sustainable and desirable element of their lineup (Eriksson's $4.5 million cap hit probably doesn't help his argument for staying either).
Still, Eriksson seemed to reacquire his once-strong form to a degree and finished last season for Boston with 22 goals and 25 assists. He's got two goals in four games this year and if he can continue his steady play will find himself a key contributor, either with a Bruins team trying to turn the page or another NHL playoff-hopeful.
