The Boston Bruins have made another move before Friday's 3 p.m. ET NHL trade deadline.
The team announced Thursday morning it has acquired forward Tyler Bertuzzi from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for a 2024 first-round draft pick (top-10 protected) and a 2025 fourth-round pick. The Red Wings also are retaining 50 percent of Bertuzzi's salary cap hit, bringing it down to $ 2.375 million. He is able to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, so this could be a rental.
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Bertuzzi is a solid playmaker and draws penalties at a high rate. The 28-year-old forward has tallied 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 29 games this season.
Why would the Bruins spend a first-rounder for Bertuzzi? Well, injuries to Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno could test Boston's depth a bit. Hall is expected to miss his third straight game Thursday night. Foligno left Tuesday's win over the Flames after a collision in the second period and didn't return.
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If these two players, who have played important roles for the Bruins, miss any meaningful length of time, that could be problematic. Bertuzzi is a left winger and could play on the third or fourth lines.
The Bruins also acquired defenseman Dmitry Orlov and bottom-six forward Garnet Hathaway from the Washington Capitals last week.
Between these two trades, the Bruins have given up a 2023 first-round pick, a top-10 protected 2024 first-round pick, a 2025 second-round pick, a 2024 third-round pick and a 2023 fifth-round pick. Boston now doesn't have a first-rounder until 2025 and doesn't have a second-rounder until 2026.
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The Bruins are clearly in win-now mode, and it's hard to blame the team for taking this approach. The B's entered Thursday with a league-best 47-8-5 record and the best roster in the league.