Could Bruins Still Trade For A Goalie Before NHL Trade Deadline Today?

Could Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney check off one more trade target box and acquire a goalie before the NHL Trade Deadline later today?

Besides Buffalo Sabres GM Kevyn Adams, with whom Sweeney consummated an overnight trade that netted the Bruins winger Taylor Hall and center Curtis Lazar, Sweeney has by far been the busiest GM as the trade deadline approaches. In addition to Hall and Lazar, Sweeney also acquired some blueline depth from the Ottawa Senators in defenseman Mike Reilly.  If the 3 PM deadline passes and Sweeney stood pat, no one can blame him, but per the same source, who just over a week ago told Boston Hockey Now that Sweeney would love to add some goaltending depth, Sweeney was still trying to secure the most important position on the ice due to the uncertainty surrounding Tuukka Rask’s health.

“I know he’d love Chris Driedger (Florida Panthers) and has done his due diligence there,” the source told BHN late Monday morning. “If he can’t get him or another goalie, I don’t think it’s the end of the world by any means but with Tuukka up in the air right now and going forward past this season, they want some insurance. At worst, he’s at least set the table for the offseason with the work he’s done recently looking into other goalies.”

Late Monday morning, on TSN Trade Centre TSN Insider Frank Seravalli reported that the goalie market was ‘drying up’ and that the Bruins were leaning on going forward as is and taking their chances that at least one of Tuukka Rask and Jaro Halak can stay healthy into the playoffs.

“I think the Bruins look at the goalie market right now and think that if Rask can’t stay healthy, they at least have Halak, who is a better starting option than anyone out there right now,” Seravalli opined.

Based on the latest Rask update from Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy following his team’s abysmal 8-1 loss to the Washington Capitals Sunday night though, Rask’s status is up in the air and likely will be going forward.

“He’s obviously getting closer, but I can’t tell you if it’s going to be Tuesday, Thursday, Friday (or) Sunday,” Cassidy acknowledged. “That’ll be up to the medical team to let me know and Tuukka. And when he’s ready, he’ll go back in there. The guy’s played well for us, our No. 1 goalie. So, we’d like him back as healthy. What we don’t want is what happened last time — that he came back in (and) reinjured himself. You’re starting from square one, so we have to guard against that.”

By all accounts, over the last ten days, Sweeney has tried to ‘guard against that’ by acquiring another goalie. Will he do just that before the 3 PM ET NHL Trade Deadline today?