Bruins Brief: Blues, Penguins Get Busy; Swayman Not An Offer Sheet Risk; SALE!

Good morning, my name is Andrew Fantucchio. It’s Wednesday, August 14, and here are the top news items, stories, and highlights surrounding the Boston Bruins and from across the NHL today.

Blues, Penguins Get Busy:

The humdrum of the NHL offseason was cut off on Tuesday morning by what initially appeared to be a fairly inconspicuous trade, as the St. Louis Blues and Pittsburgh Penguins swapped some mid-round picks in both the 2025 and 2026 drafts back and forth.

Soon, though, it became clearly apparent there was more to the deal under the surface.

With the 2025 second-round pick they received from the Penguins, the Blues were able to extend an offer sheet to restricted free-agent defenseman Philip Broberg and one to his Edmonton Oilers teammate, forward Dylan Holloway.

Overall, it’s quite a savvy move by St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong. And while Pittsburgh was merely an accessory in this series of transactions, it, too, still had more business to handle.

The Penguins struck another deal later in the afternoon, this time with the Nashville Predators, as they picked up fourth-line grinding forward Cody Glass, a 2025 third-round pick, and a 2026 sixth-round pick. Nashville received minor league forward Jordan Frasca in the trade.

Swayman Not An Offer Sheet Risk:

The cleverness of the Blues quickly sent distress signals across the NHL.

Rarely are offer sheets put into use, and many began to wonder if the ones placed on Broberg and Holloway were the start of many more to come.
While this is by no means a guarantee for restricted free agents elsewhere, the Boston Bruins have no reason to stress about another team attempting to sign Jeremy Swayman.

Bolts Up For Sale:

At the end of the day, sports is a business, and a lucrative one at that.

After years of continued success on the ice, the ownership group of the Tampa Lightning is reportedly beginning a multi-stage sale of the franchise, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Initial evaluations have set the sale price at $2 billion.

Tampa Bay Lightning amidst sale process, valuing team at close to $2Bhttps://t.co/fWSK1MEfzM

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) August 13, 2024

Hockey Now Subscription Sale:

Speaking of sales, don’t miss out on this one-time offer to subscribe to Boston Hockey Now for the low price of just $10.

The subscription not only unlocks premium access to Boston Hockey Now but also ad-free browsing across all other National Hockey Now sites.

The sale ends on Saturday, so don’t miss out!

More From National Hockey Now:

NHL: It wasn’t just the Bruins who had their ears perk up after the Blues put out those two offer sheets. Teams all over the league, including the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, and Washington Capitals, were all highly interested.

Chicago: The Toronto Maple Leafs will name Auston Matthews as their new captain this morning. When should the Chicago Blackhawks consider doing the same with Connor Bedard?

Florida: By naming Matthews as their new captain, the Maple Leafs are stripping John Tavares of the title. It’s a scenario similar to one the Florida Panthers endured not too long ago.

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