The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a major move before the NHL trade deadline, acquiring Ryan O\u2019Reilly and Noel Acciari from the Boston Bruins in exchange for a package of draft picks and prospects. The Bruins were forced to part with two of their top forwards in order to free up cap space, and the impact of the trade on the team is significant.<\/p>\n
The Bruins had been relying on O\u2019Reilly and Acciari to provide secondary scoring and defensive depth throughout the season, and their departure leaves a huge hole in the team\u2019s lineup. O\u2019Reilly was the team\u2019s leading scorer with 15 goals and 38 points in 57 games, while Acciari had 11 goals and 18 points in 61 games. The duo was also a key part of the team\u2019s penalty kill, which was ranked sixth in the league.<\/p>\n
The Bruins will now need to find new players to fill the void left by O\u2019Reilly and Acciari. The team is already thin up front, with David Krejci and Brad Marchand the only two players with more than 20 points. The team will likely look to add some scoring depth before the trade deadline, with the likes of Kyle Palmieri and Chris Kreider being potential targets.<\/p>\n
The Bruins will also need to find a way to replace the defensive presence of O\u2019Reilly and Acciari. The team has relied heavily on Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy on the blue line, and the departures of O\u2019Reilly and Acciari will put even more pressure on those two players. The team could look to add a veteran defenseman to help fill the void, or could opt to give more ice time to younger players such as Jeremy Lauzon and Jakub Zboril.<\/p>\n
The trade for O\u2019Reilly and Acciari is a major blow to the Bruins, and it could have a significant impact on the team\u2019s playoff chances. The team will now need to find a way to fill the void left by the two players, and they will need to do so quickly if they want to remain in the playoff hunt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a major move before the NHL trade deadline, acquiring Ryan O\u2019Reilly and Noel Acciari from the Boston Bruins in exchange for a package of draft picks and prospects. The Bruins were forced to part with two of their top forwards in order to free up cap space, and the …<\/p>\n