Five forwards the Bruins should target after Hampus Lindholm deal

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The Boston Bruins didn't wait until Monday afternoon's NHL trade deadline to make a major move that bolsters their roster.

B's general manager Don Sweeney sent a first-round pick, two second-round picks and two players (defensemen Urho Vaakanainen and John Moore) to the Anaheim Ducks for star defenseman Hampus Lindholm and AHL defenseman Kodie Curran.

The Lindholm addition satisfied the Bruins' need for another top-four defenseman, but they still have plenty of other roster issues to address. The most pressing are No. 2 center and a scoring right winger.

Why the Hampus Lindholm trade bolsters Bruins' Stanley Cup chances

By getting rid of Moore's contract and the Ducks retaining 50 percent of Lindholm's salary, the Bruins still have about $6.1 million in salary cap space to use at the deadline. This gives them plenty of flexibility.

Here's a look at five forwards the Bruins should pursue to bolster their scoring depth before Monday's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline (All salary information via CapFriendly).

Rickard Rakell, C/RW, Anaheim Ducks

The Bruins and Ducks have now made three trades since the 2019-20 season, so why not circle back for a fourth?

Rakell would be an excellent fit at No. 2 center or first-line right winger next to Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. After a down season offensively in 2020-21 with just nine goals in 52 games, Rakell already has 16 goals in 52 games this year. He averaged 24 goals from 2015-16 through 2019-20.

Rakell's offensive talent and positional versatility make him an ideal candidate for the B's. He's in the final year of his contract and would be a rental unless Boston re-signed him before free agency in July.

J.T. Miller, C, Vancouver Canucks

Miller is probably the best center who could be available with Claude Giroux (traded to Florida Panthers) and Tomas Hertl (re-signed with San Jose Sharks) now off the market.

From a fit standpoint, Miller would be awesome for the Bruins. He plays a physical style of hockey at 6-foot-1 and 218 pounds. He's also set a new career high with 24 goals and 73 points in 61 games this season.

Another great reason to acquire Miller is his contract. He is signed through next season with a team-friendly salary cap hit of $5.25 million. 

The Canucks could still make the playoffs, but the math is not on their side. They are five points behind the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. Trading Miller would hurt Vancouver in the short term but also allow the franchise to get some much-needed assets for its inevitable retool/rebuild.

Conor Garland, RW, Vancouver Canucks

The Bruins need a right winger who can generate offense at 5-on-5 and Garland fits the bill. His 56 points during 5-on-5 action since the start of last season would rank third on the Bruins behind only Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. 

The Bruins reportedly are among the teams that have "checked in" on Garland recently. Not only would he boost the team's scoring depth at right wing, he's signed long term through 2025-26 with a reasonable $4.95 million cap hit.

Garland also is from Scituate, Mass., so a trade to the B's would be a homecoming for him.

Andrew Copp, LW, Winnipeg Jets

Copp will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer and if the Jets are not confident he will stay, then it makes total sense to trade him before Monday's deadline.

Copp is a solid two-way player. He's tallied 32 points (13 goals, 19 assists) in 55 games for the Jets, while also thriving on the penalty kill, where he plays a team-leading 2:32 per game among forwards. Copp also plays a power-forward style of hockey. He's not one to shy away from puck battles in front of the net, in the corners, etc.

Positional versatility is another strength of Copp's game. He could play center or left wing. Overall, Copp is an ideal rental forward for the Bruins.

Phil Kessel, RW, Arizona Coyotes

Time to bring a familiar face back to Boston?

It's been more than a decade since the Bruins traded Kessel to the Toronto Maple Leafs for three draft picks, including first-rounders that turned into Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton.

Kessel is no longer the elite scorer he was in 2010, but he remains a solid offensive player with loads of playoff experience. In fact, he has tallied 81 points in 96 career playoff games and played an important role in the Pittsburgh Penguins' back-to-back Stanley Cup teams of 2016 and 2017.

After scoring 20 goals in just 56 games last season, Kessel has regressed a bit in 2021-22 with six goals in 61 games. Some of this downturn can be attributed to the fact the Coyotes have gutted their roster -- especially at center -- since last summer as the franchise continues a massive rebuild.

Kessel does have a no-trade clause and would need to approve a deal to Boston. But if he's willing to come back, the veteran winger could provide the Bruins with a fantastic offensive boost at right wing. He's going to give you a lot more offense on the wing than Trent Frederic, Nick Foligno or Jake DeBrusk.

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