McCann Comes to Beantown

The Boston Bruins have upgraded their forward unit, with a blockbuster trade with the New York Islanders bringing in sniper Jared McCann in exchange for forward Tomas Tatar, prospects Justin Barron and Justin Sourdif, and their 2024 1st round pick.

The Bruins also acquired minor league forward Al Quine in the deal and, in a related move the next day, the Providence Bruins and Toledo Walleye made a minor league swap sending left winger Michael Mersch to Toledo, with the Bruins getting defenseman Matt Kiersted.

McCann, 27, spent two and a half seasons with the Islanders, acquired from Ottawa early in the 2021-22 season. He scored 38 points for the Islanders that season, then 56 last season before putting up 26 points through 39 games this year. Although he didn't necessarily show it to quite the extent the Islanders would have hoped, McCann is a high-end sniper and while the Bruins have plenty of skill up front already, McCann is probably the best defensively of the Bruins' group of skill forwards.

For the Bruins, the salary cap implications of the deal were also attractive, as McCann is signed long-term with a very cap-friendly salary of $3.85 million. In addition to bringing in his cap-friendly deal, the Bruins sent out Tomas Tatar, who was playing on their third line and had 16 points in 38 games. Tatar is still a capable third-line scoring forward at this stage in his career, but his $4 million salary for next season could potentially have been an issue.

The price paid in terms of futures is not insignificant: GM Trevor Cook has been high on Barron and Sourdif since before he was even hired in EHE and two of the earliest moves in his tenure were made to bring those two young players in. Earlier this year, they were ranked in an article as the organization's 5th and 8th-best prospects. Boston's 2024 first round pick is also a wildcard, with the Bruins currently sitting just outside a playoff spot approaching the halfway point of the season. The expectation within the organization is that the team is good enough to make the playoffs, but it's entirely possible, especially in the hard-fought Eastern Conference playoff race, that the Bruins fall short and convey a relatively high selection to the Islanders.

In his Bruins debut a couple of days ago, McCann scored his 10th goal of the season as part of a 9-1 blowout victory over the Anaheim Ducks. He played alongside Evgeni Malkin and Colton Sissons on the Bruins' third line, while also seeing powerplay time. The Bruins hope his presence continues to energize the lineup going forward.