Report: Bruins ‘in the mix’ for Coyotes’ Christian Dvorak originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Bruins need depth at center, and one potential trade partner to address that position could be the Arizona Coyotes.
The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported Friday morning that the Bruins and Coyotes have had “consistent dialogue” of late with multiple players potentially in play.
2021 NHL free agents: Top 25 players for teams to sign in offseason
He followed up on that report Friday afternoon with more information surrounding these teams:
Dvorak would be an interesting addition for the Bruins if the two clubs can work out a deal.
For starters, the 25-year-old center (also can play left wing) often played with Bruins forward Taylor Hall when they were together on the Coyotes after Arizona acquired the veteran left winger during the 2019-20 season. Dvorak played 424:30 of 5-on-5 ice time alongside Hall and the Coyotes had a plus-1 goal differential (23-22) during those minutes.
Dvorak tallied 31 points (17 goals, 14 assists) in 56 games last season. He has scored 15-plus goals in four of his five NHL seasons.
Dvorak could be reunited with Hall if he’s traded to Boston. Hall and the B’s have made “significant progress” toward a new contract, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said Thursday.
2021 NHL Mock Draft roundup: Bruins’ first-round pick predictions
Sweeney also noted that he hasn’t gotten a definitive answer from David Krejci on whether the veteran center will return next season. Krejci is 35 years old and a free agent. The Bruins acquired Hall from the Buffalo Sabres shortly before the April 12 trade deadline and he immediately found chemistry with Krejci. In fact, the Hall-Krejci-Craig Smith second line dominated at 5-on-5, helping the Bruins account for more than 65 percent of shot attempts and shots on net, as well as a 13-1 scoring differential in the final 16 regular season games.
Regardless of what Krejci decides to do, acquiring Dvorak would give the Bruins another center with experience playing alongside Hall.
Another reason to acquire Dvorak is his contract. He’s signed for four more years with a very manageable $4.45 million salary cap hit, per CapFriendly.
The ideal scenario would be Krejci coming back and the Bruins still acquiring another versatile forward such as Dvorak. But if Krejci does leave, the Bruins could do a lot worse than Dvorak as a potential replacement.