New Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney made clear to the rest of the NHL that he feel good about his team their chances at a postseason run, as currently constructed, when he decided not to trade Loui Eriksson ahead of the trade deadline on Monday. Sure, the Bruins are a team in transition, extremely unlikely to truly vie for the Stanley Cup this season, but Sweeney probably thinks that instilling a winning culture matters as much as building a base of talent. That culture will pervade even as older players are shipped out in the offseason.
Which, if you've been paying attention to the league over the last few years, is probably exactly where things are headed for the Bruins. Eriksson, an extremely talented scorer who has returned to form this season after a couple of down years following a serious head injury, is a guy Sweeney wants to keep, even beyond this season. But in a capped world, hard decisions must be made. And with Eriksson apparently turning his nose up at whatever the Bruins are offering to this point, it would make sense then that Sweeney would like to ship him out, whether at the deadline or the draft, in return for further assets to add young talent to his team.
But Sweeney stood firm on Monday and Eriksson, speaking for the first time since the deadline came and went without his being dealt, sounded very much like a man relieved of what was likely a very heavy burden.
"It's definitely nice to be still here," Eriksson said Tuesday, adding that Monday was a "stressful" time for him and his family.
Eriksson, 30, is playing out the string of a six-year, $25.5 million deal he signed with the Dallas Stars prior to the 2010-11 season. Despite his advancing age, Eriksson is actually something of an ascending player. His 48 points through 63 games aren't close to the 70-point seasons he was once capable of, but he's already having the best season of his career since 2011-12. Of course, the fact that it's coming in a contract year is questionable, but Eriksson's proven capable of elite production before.
Still, considering the impasse he and the Bruins seem to be facing regarding a new deal, it remains entirely possible that he'll be dealt sometime around the 2016 NHL Draft in July or even allowed to simply walk away.
Eriksson said Tuesday that he's glad to have more time to discuss a possible deal with the currently playoff-bound Bruins, but that his focus now is trying to "win games and help this team."
