If the Boston Bruins get an offer that provides them with immediate help, general manager Don Sweeney is open to moving his first-round pick.
Sweeney spoke about the possibility that he’ll move the pick while he was at the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo this week.
“It’s an effort to try and improve our hockey club,” Sweeney told the Boston Herald. “We have had a number of selections the last couple of years and we feel that they’ll all materialize into very good players for the Boston Bruins and I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t explore what could improve our hockey club now in the shorter term. I owe it to our players and the organization to continue to do that. Whether or not it happens, I don’t know. Some people have looked at me sideways at times when holding three first-rounders (in 2015) and not being able to do something at that point in time. The right deal didn’t take place. I can’t say that it’s going to at this time as well, but it’s certainly an area I’ve looked at that if we can improve, then we would move it.”
Over the past three years the Bruins have made six picks in the first round. In 2014 they nabbed David Pastrnak 25th overall and last year they got Charlie McAvoy 14th and Trent Frederic 29th. As Sweeney mentioned, the team had three first-rounders in a row in 2015, selecting Jakub Zboril, Jake DeBrusk and Zachary Senyshyn 13th, 14th and 15th.
If the Bruins do move their first round pick, it’s expected they’d do it to improve either on defence, or with a top-six left-winger.
Sweeney also spoke this week about the ongoing negotiations with RFA David Pastrnak, who had a breakout 70-point season. His deal could come in around $6 million on a long-term extension. Sweeney said those negotiations were “moving in the right direction.”
