The third and likely final trade scenario that I’m going to entertain is that of defenseman John Moore. He, like the other two, is often mentioned as a player fans would like to see the team move on from, and like Kevan Miller, is probably replaceable given the team has nine NHL defenseman currently under contract. Not only that, but top defensive prospect Urho Vaakanainen and possibly Jeremy Lauzon appear ready for the NHL full-time, and at the very least will be more than capable at filling in as call-ups in the case of injuries. As I said in the Miller scenario, it is not feasible or smart for the Bruins to pay Moore, Miller, and Steven Kampfer, who are the likely odd-men out most nights, a combined $6.05 million to sit in the press box while they are facing a big cap crunch. So, at least one, if not both, of Moore and Miller is likely to be moved, and here’s how I think that would look if it were Moore.
But first, as always, here’s a write-up of his stats. Moore appeared in 61 games for the Bruins last season, in which he tallied four goals and nine assists. He then played in ten playoff games for the team on their run to the Stanley Cup Final, through which he failed to record a single point. Drafted 21st overall of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Moore has played in 508 career NHL games, over which he has produced 36 goals and 76 assists. The 28-year-old defenseman had previously played for four other organizations over his nine-season NHL career before joining the Bruins as a free agent last offseason.
Now onto my favorite part: the speculation and my thoughts! Moore will not be available at the beginning of the season due to having shoulder surgery this offseason for an injury suffered in the March 26th game against the Tampa Bay Lightning after playing through it when called upon in the playoffs. This is going to make him difficult to move, as teams will be wary of taking on a player coming off of major surgery without first seeing how he comes back from it. Even though he should be perfectly fine, it’s just how the league seems to work. The term of his contract is also not great, as he still has four more years left, but his cap hit could be worse at $2.75 million. Granted, it could easily be better, but Moore is a slick-skating, big-bodied defenseman who is decent in transition and at winning puck battles. He doesn’t produce as much offensively as you may expect given his skill set, but he does chip in a little. He struggled to find his footing in Boston last season, and with the Bruins plethora of NHL-caliber defensemen, it’s easy to see why he may be moved. He found himself as the team’s seventh defenseman at times last season when the blueline was healthy (which was rare), and it’s fair to wonder if the Bruins system is just not a good fit for him. It’s way different than New Jersey’s system (which was his last team prior to Boston), and he was given plenty of time to adjust to the team before becoming a healthy scratch when other options were available and healthy. So, it may be in both the Bruins’ and Moore’s best interests for him to be traded.
Boston will have very little leverage in any trade they make this offseason due to their
cap situation and unsigned RFAs, so they are not likely to get a fair return for anyone. In Moore’s case, I see him bringing back a similar return to Miller’s as even though he is considered a better defenseman by some, coming off shoulder surgery and not being available for a while to begin the season is going to minimize the potential return for the Bruins. That being said, I think it is fair to say the Bruins could get a third-round pick for him, but the lack of leverage may hurt their chances at even getting that. If they get any less, it is reasonable to say they should get at least an extra seventh round pick in return. But, as I’ve said before and I’m sure I will continue to say, the NHL is a strange league and GMs can be unpredictable, so who knows what will actually happen. I could look back at this post and wonder what I was thinking if they get way more or way less than my guesses (please let it be the former).
If I had to choose between moving Moore or Miller, I would choose Moore for several reasons. First off, I think he is replaced more easily by what the Bruins currently have, as Miller brings more of a physical edge, which is not something you can say about most of the potential replacements. Also, Miller will be off the books next season as his contract is up, while Moore still has four seasons left on his deal. In addition, as I said above, he never really seemed to find his footing this season in Boston, and while that may change, he was given plenty of time to adjust this season so I’m not convinced it will. Finally, Moore has a slightly higher cap hit at $2.75 million versus Miller’s $2.5 million, and any little bit of cap space the Bruins can get will help them. While Miller has had injury issues due to his style of play, he would not necessarily be needed in the lineup every night as he is likely to be the team’s seventh defenseman if Connor Clifton can stick around, which I think he will. So, it may not be that big of a deal next season.
Moore is the better skater of the two and contributed more points per game with 0.213 to Miller’s 0.179, but Miller’s skating has drastically improved in recent years and he is far more physical. So, I think he is more valuable to the Bruins on the ice than Moore, and he’s also a leader in the dressing room, so I would rather seem him stay. But, it’s not up to me obviously, and it seems more likely that Miller gets moved because they will not want to let him walk for free in free agency next season. But, it would also be nice to get a longer term contract off the books so they are less cap-strapped next season as well. So, who knows what will happen. A trade must be made in order to resign Brandon Carlo and Charlie McAvoy, and if it can’t be Backes, I hope to see it be a defenseman such as Moore or Miller (NOT Krug, I’m not even going to entertain that one because it’s a really stupid idea), and I hope it gets done before training camp so those guys don’t miss out on it. We saw how it went for the Leafs with William Nylander last season after he held out until the December 1st RFA signing deadline, and I would rather avoid any chance of that happening in Boston. I think they’ll be able to avoid it with these two as they did with Pastrnak, especially since they are reportedly close on a deal with Carlo. I’ll let you know for sure what happened when camp opens in September.
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