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By: Yanni Latzanakis  |  Follow Me On Twitter @yanlatz

On Tuesday, February 12, the Boston Bruins and Don Sweeney announced via a press conference at Warrior Ice Arena that David Pastrnak underwent successful surgery to repair an injured left thumb. Pastrnak injured his thumb after leaving a sponsorship dinner with teammates when he reportedly fell, and he will be re-evaluated in two weeks.

David Pastrnak has been one of the league’s best goal scorers this season. He was honored at the 2019 NHL All-Star Game in San Jose due in part to his 31 goals and 66 points which are tied for 7th and 9th in the league respectively. He also ranks second in the league in powerplay points with 29, just behind Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov who has 32 power play points.

It is no secret that David Pastrnak has been a huge part of the Bruins success this season. However, even with David Pastrnak in the lineup, the Bruins have had an up and down season so far. With this latest injury, Sweeney should swing for the fences.

There have been multiple reports linking the Bruins to superstar forwards like Artemi Panarin and Wayne Simmonds ahead of the February 25th NHL Trade Deadline in which I think the Bruins should revisit with the Pastrnak injury.

However, during Sweeney’s press conference, he stated that Pastrnak’s injury will not change his deadline approach. If this is the case, this is not good news for Bruins fans. Ahead of Tuesday’s matchup with the streaking Chicago Blackhawks who have won 7 straight games and sit just 4 points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference, Jake DeBrusk will be joining David Krejci and Peter Cehlarik on the left side in place of David Pastrnak.

Jake DeBrusk has been in a big slump in his sophomore season putting up just 14 goals and 5 assists for 19 points in 47 games played. This is down from his outstanding rookie campaign with 16 goals and 27 assists for 43 points along with a +13 rating last season. The Pastrnak injury is a chance for DeBrusk to step up and get back into his scoring ways, but the Bruins still need a trade now more than ever.

With David Pastrnak in the lineup and many injuries this season, the Bruins have done a great job hanging onto a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. However, even with David Pastrnak, we have seen this team give up leads in games as well as just flat out not score. If I were in Sweeney’s shoes, I would make a trade for a big name forward like the aforementioned Artemi Panarin or Wayne Simmonds. But, the asking prices are reportedly very high for Panarin who has already stated that he wants to test the market come July 1st. If the Bruins want to make any kind of splash in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, they need to add another piece (or 2) at the deadline to improve the forward group and add more depth scoring.

As reported by Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic, an ask for Columbus could be the Bruins 2019 First Round Pick, Trent Frederic, and either Donato or Vaakanainen.

Again, this is just a rental at this time because Panarin said that he wanted to test the market this summer. However, who knows? What if he loves Boston and the Bruins make a deep run with him and decides to sign here? Giving up Donato and Frederic, two players who haven’t shown a ton of promise this season, as well as a first-round pick for a superstar forward, would be a great move to improve the top two lines for the Bruins. This is a gamble move for Don Sweeney but I think it would be a good risk to take that could help this team compete with Eastern Conference supremacists Tampa Bay Lightning.

Wayne Simmonds would also be a good gamble in my opinion. He has shown to be a good performer in the past although he only has 24 points this season. He has had a strong career with the LA Kings and Philadelphia Flyers and has built a reputation as a tough player who can put the puck in the net. Most importantly, it would be a cheaper price for Don Sweeney to play than for Artemi Panarin.

With the aging (yet still productive) veteran core in Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Zdeno Chara, and Brad Marchand, the window is closing for the Bruins to win another Stanley Cup. Therefore, Sweeney should take a swing for a big name forward at this year’s trade deadline, especially with the latest David Pastrnak injury.

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