Boston Bruins' forward Loui Eriksson is the biggest name left on the trading block after the Jets dealt Andrew Ladd to Chicago on Thursday. However, Bruins GM Don Sweeney might want to hang on to his coveted forward after all.
The Bruins are currently in talks to extend Eriksson's contract, according to Bruins' president Cam Neely.
"There have been recent discussions," Neely said, according to CBS Sports. "[GM] Don [Sweeney] sent something [Eriksson's] way; we haven't gotten a response yet, but there have been ongoing discussions."
Talks have been ongoing and the two sides have gotten closer to a deal, but there is still a gap in terms of number of years, according to Darren Dreger.
If contract talks break down and the Bruins fail to resign Eriksson, the club has three options, according to Dreger: close the gap in negotiations by offering a longer term deal, trade Eriksson and hope for a good return, or keep Eriksson and use him as a rental player for its own playoff run.
Sweeney is under direction to rebuild the Bruins on the fly, according to Pierre LeBrun. Meeting Eriksson's demands in terms of length means that the Bruins could be stuck with Eriksson's contract into his mid-thirties.
The emergence of 27-year-old winger Brad Marchand as a legitimate top six scorer has had an influence on how the Bruins have handled Eriksson's contract situation ahead of the deadline, according to The Score. Marchand has one year remaining on his deal and will likely be due for a raise. This makes it difficult for Sweeney to retain both Eriksson and Marchand while leaving cap space to address other needs that the Bruins have.
A late surge in the standings has put the Bruins in a playoff position, and seeing as Sweeney is already in possession of the best rental player available, it's possible that the club will retain Eriksson for the time being in hopes of a prolonged playoff run.
