It has become something of an assumption for those in and around the Boston Bruins organization that GM Peter Chiarelli will be a buyer ahead of the NHL's trade deadline.
Even with young David Pastrnak unexpectedly proving his NHL worth on a nightly basis, the Bruins would like to add a big piece up front, a power forward - someone in the mold of Michael Ryder or Chris Stewart - who can add some strength, grit and scoring ability for the Bruins playoff run.
But while that's still the case, Chiarelli isn't only making NHL trade offers; he's receiving them as well.
Bruins star AHL netminder and former first-round draft pick, Malcolm Subban, has been drawing interest from across the league.
"Well, teams looking for goaltending. He's having a very good year in the American Hockey League with Providence," said TSN's Darren Dreger on a recent episode of Insider Trading, per NicholsOnHockey.com. "But you can call all you want, the Bruins are not interested in trading Malcolm Subban unless they get a very, very good young prospect or young player back in return. Again, this is a deal if Pete Chiarelli was going to seriously going to consider it, he'd consider it around draft time in the summer."
It's not surprising that Chiarelli would be asking a lot for Subban's rights, even with the All-World Tuukka Rask firmly entrenched as the long-term Boston netminder.
According to HockeysFuture.com, "Malcolm Subban is an athletic goaltender with size and explosive lateral mobility. Practically unbeatable in one-on-one situations, he's poised but is also capable of making highlight reel savesthanks to his athleticism and agility."
For Providence this season, Subban has a 2.47 goals against average and .921 save percentage in 22 games. Last year, he appeared in 33 games and posted a 2.31 goals against average and .920 save percentage.
While it's difficult to envision Chiarelli dealing the young goaltender, if Subban can fetch a significant price - either now or in the offseason - the Bruins GM will be hard-pressed to hang up the phone.
