Rumour: Bruins using Pastrnak as trade bait to get Eichel

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T. Tadi
June 23, 2021 (9:40)

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The National Hockey League's trade market is heating up right now, and things got even crazier when Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now reported a trade possibility that surprised Bruins fans.

According to reports, the Buffalo Sabres are calling captain Jack Eichel and demanding a king's ransom in exchange for the 24-year-old center. A league executive told Murphy that the Sabres may demand up to six components in return for Eichel.

Murphy disclosed that «the only untouchables on the Boston Bruins roster right now are Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and Charlie McAvoy» when discussing the Sabres' approach to moving Eichel. As you can see, David Pastrnak's name isn't on the list, which enraged Murphy even more. He goes on to say that Pastrnak might be the only chance for the Bruins to get Eichel.

This is how he breaks it down:

«Pastrnak is entering his penultimate season on a team-friendly contract that carries a $6.6 million cap hit. Surely if he continues to be a 30-40 goal scorer and challenge for 80-100 points a season, Pastrnak, who will be 27 when his contract expires, is in line for a big pay raise. So, let's just say Pastrnak's new cap hit will be a minimum of $9 million per season. While David Krejci and the Boston Bruins share a mutual interest in bringing Krejci back for next season, what about beyond next season? Also, what will the Bruins need to pay to extend Bergeron, who is entering the last season of a contract that carries a $6.8 million cap hit? What about Charlie Coyle? Are the Bruins thinking of moving him to the wing?"

''Needless to say, there could be a giant void down the middle for the Boston Bruins in as early as 2022-23.»

This will undoubtedly excite Bruins fans, as Pasta is well-known in Bean Town and was the team's top forward behind Marchand and captain Bergeron.

Breaking apart the Perfection line sounds more than a little off.

The Bruins already have a lot of questions to answer this offseason, one of which is what to do with Taylor Hall. We can't imagine them trading one of their best forwards for Eichel, who is under contract through 2025-26 with a $10 million cap hit and played his final game of the season on March 7 before being ruled out for the rest of the season due to a hamstring injury.