Bruins Calm During Busy EHE Trade Deadline

It was a relatively quiet trade deadline for the Boston Bruins. They did make two moves, but neither is likely to have a huge impact on their season. THAT trade was made a while ago when the Bruins brought in Jared McCann, who has played in 29 games with the team. In those 29 games, McCann has 11 goals, 26 points, and the Bruins are 23-5-1 - climbing from just outside the playoff picture to fifth in the EHE.

Instead, the Bruins were content to just tinker with their fourth line on deadline day, acquiring Trevor Lewis from the New York Islanders in exchange for Sheldon Dries and cash considerations. They also sent minor leaguer Alan Quine to the St. Louis Blues / Chicago Wolves organization in exchange for cash considerations, giving Quine a chance to join a competitive AHL team after Providence's once-promising season has fallen off the rails.

The Bruins did have negotiations geared towards adding another defenseman. We are told that player was Brian Dumoulin and that the Bruins had discussions both with Pittsburgh and with the Islanders after he was traded there. Ultimately, salary cap concerns left a potential deal with the Penguins dead in the water. Then, as the team kept winning, GM Cook was reluctant to make any changes to the current lineup.

Cook did not confirm if they were after Dumoulin or not, but he did admit that the idea of messing with a winning lineup became something he wasn't interested in doing. "We ended up bringing in Lewis because that deal didn't cost us anyone that was playing every night. Truthfully, I still don't know when he'll get into the lineup because this group is playing so, so well. There were other players we were in talks for, and it would have meant taking someone out, sending someone the other way for cap considerations, and as this group just kept winning it became kind of a non-starter for us."

Lewis has yet to draw into the Bruins lineup as they've won their first two games post-deadline to extend their current winning streak to seven. Tonight, they take on the league-leading Buffalo Sabres. Lewis is expected to remain out of the lineup for now, but the Bruins do expect him to get his chance to play soon.

"He brings a lot to the table with his versatility, two-way play, physicality, leadership. He's a great fourth-line guy - we brought him in because he makes us better. But it's hard to justify changing the lineup right now... we're going to get him in there slowly and hope the chemistry keeps building into the playoffs," said Cook.