Boston Bruins could add a top scorer in the negotiation deadline, and switching to Conor Garland would not mark the first time Don Sweeney would close a hole in the list with a local boy.
SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman pondered on Tuesday that Garland might be a good fit for the Bruins, which came a few days after his report that he thinks the Arizona Coyotes would move the winger at the right price.
From Friedman’s column on Tuesday:
A name that surprised me: Conor Garland. I don’t think there is much that Arizona wouldn’t consider, but this one is very intriguing. He is ending his current contract at $ 775,000, is almost a point player per game and is tied for 24th in the NHL in points of uniform strength. I was told that the way coyotes see it is that they need to refuel, and moving it around may be enough. He is also eligible for arbitration this summer and the next, followed by an unrestricted free agency, so a much-deserved raise is underway.
One thing Arizona said to the teams: it is not interested in multiple choices that arrive at the end of the rounds. So you have to bring more than that.
What the price is, we don’t know (more on that later). What we do know is that Garland, in fact, represents a good fit.
Boston has struggled hard to create a 5-to-5 score through its last three lines, and they are running out of internal options to fix this – Sweeney admitted that. Perhaps if Ondrej Kase comes back, that may help, but the nature of his injury is so uncertain that it is probably better to see his potential return as an advantage, not a salvation.
Garland, however, is in the middle of an escape. The 25-year-old right winger has scored 22 goals and 17 assists in 68 games last season, and has nine goals and 16 assists in 31 games this season – all playing for a lifeless Arizona team.
For years, the Bruins have tried to find a stable fit in the right wing of the second row. Garland could absolutely be that guy. In addition, he signed with just $ 775,000 this season and is set to be a restricted free agent this season who is eligible for arbitration.
Therefore, money is not a problem. But one thing is certain in negotiations that involve promising young players controlled by teams in cheap deals: the return usually needs to be high. This is particularly important, as Garland plays for the Coyotes, who have a terrible pool of prospects, a bad limit situation and do not have their choice in the first round in 2021.
The simple logic points to “the right price” for Arizona, including first-round choices, as well as worthwhile NHL-ready prospects. The last part is especially true for the Bruins if Friedman’s note about the Coyotes is not interested in late choices in the first round is true.
If you are the Bruins, this is difficult to separate. However, if you get a legitimate scorer, this is a deal you probably think about a lot. Garland is a young player and, when you acquire him, you may be entering the first floor and things will only get better for him. He has 31 goals and 33 assists in his last 99 games, so improving that would make him one of the six most useful strikers
The flip side, though, is that he’s only in his third NHL season. What if he is a 50-point player and that is the ceiling? You’re obviously going to get this, but maybe it is better to wait for Jake DeBrusk to find his shape and become that guy, because not only have you seen his potential, and it would not imply that the Bruins would have to give up a ton so they can land Garland.
But if there’s one thing we learned two years ago, when the Bruins sent Ryan Donato to Minnesota Wild via Charlie Coyle, it’s that sometimes you have to take a chance. Undoubtedly, acquiring Garland would cost more, but Coyle’s switch was a move that worked well for the Bruins, even though Donato’s split was difficult to accept at the time.
Sweeney and Co. know that the way the Bruins’ offensive is going is not sustainable and that some change is likely to be made. Even though Garland is not the most proven player in the NHL, he is working very well on an unimaginable team. Who knows what the Coyotes want for him, but unless it’s absurd, it makes perfect sense in the world for the Bruins to go after Garland.
Miniature photo via Matt Kartozian / USA TODAY Sports Images