The Bruins surrendered some of their long-term future on Sunday to try to win the Stanley Cup in the next few months.
The B's, currently in third place in the NHL in terms of winning percentage, acquired forward Rick Nash from the New York Rangers for forwards Ryan Spooner and Matt Beleskey, highly-touted defense prospect Ryan Lindgren, the Bruins' first-round choice in the next Entry Draft, and a seventh-round choice in 2019.
Nash was expected to join the Bruins in time to play in Sunday afternoon's game at Buffalo (5 p.m., NESN, WBZ-FM 98.5).
While Nash, 33, has been inconsistent over the last three of his six years with the Rangers, he's a proven scorer who has netted at least 30 goals in eight of 15 NHL seasons, He has 18 goals in 60 games this year, which will rank fourth on the Bruins' list.
Nash also adds size to the Bruins' forward group. He's 6 feet, 4 inches and 211 pounds.
Nash, who is in the final season of an eight-year contract that averages $7.8 million, becomes an unrestricted free agent as of July 1, and there's little doubt he's a "rental." The Bruins aren't expected to attempt to re-sign him.
Spooner, 26, is the only roster player the Bruins surrender. He has scored 25 points (9 goals, 16 assists) over 39 games this year, in which he had made a surprisingly smooth transition from center to right wing. Spooner, whose contract expires following this season, has played most recently with veteran center David Krejci -- a position Nash is expected to fill.
Beleskey, 29, was a relatively expensive free agent acquisition ($3.8 million per year) in 2015-16 who hasn't worked out. After scoring 15 goals and 37 points in his first season with the B's, he fell to just three goals and eight points in 49 games a year ago, and was sent to AHL Providence this season after failing to score a point in 14 games.
The Bruins drafted Lindgren, 20, in the second round of the 2016 Entry Draft, the 49th player selected overall. He's a sophomore at the University of Minnesota.
The Bruins surrendered some of their long-term future on Sunday to try to win the Stanley Cup in the next few months.
The B's, currently in third place in the NHL in terms of winning percentage, acquired forward Rick Nash from the New York Rangers for forwards Ryan Spooner and Matt Beleskey, highly-touted defense prospect Ryan Lindgren, the Bruins' first-round choice in the next Entry Draft, and a seventh-round choice in 2019.
Nash was expected to join the Bruins in time to play in Sunday afternoon's game at Buffalo (5 p.m., NESN, WBZ-FM 98.5).
While Nash, 33, has been inconsistent over the last three of his six years with the Rangers, he's a proven scorer who has netted at least 30 goals in eight of 15 NHL seasons, He has 18 goals in 60 games this year, which will rank fourth on the Bruins' list.
Nash also adds size to the Bruins' forward group. He's 6 feet, 4 inches and 211 pounds.
Nash, who is in the final season of an eight-year contract that averages $7.8 million, becomes an unrestricted free agent as of July 1, and there's little doubt he's a "rental." The Bruins aren't expected to attempt to re-sign him.
Spooner, 26, is the only roster player the Bruins surrender. He has scored 25 points (9 goals, 16 assists) over 39 games this year, in which he had made a surprisingly smooth transition from center to right wing. Spooner, whose contract expires following this season, has played most recently with veteran center David Krejci -- a position Nash is expected to fill.
Beleskey, 29, was a relatively expensive free agent acquisition ($3.8 million per year) in 2015-16 who hasn't worked out. After scoring 15 goals and 37 points in his first season with the B's, he fell to just three goals and eight points in 49 games a year ago, and was sent to AHL Providence this season after failing to score a point in 14 games.
The Bruins drafted Lindgren, 20, in the second round of the 2016 Entry Draft, the 49th player selected overall. He's a sophomore at the University of Minnesota.