Mailbag: Bruins approach at Trade Deadline; Ducks rebuild

Here is the Feb. 22 edition of the mailbag, where we answer your questions asked on Twitter using #OvertheBoards.

What do you think the Bruins will do as the NHL Trade Deadline approaches? Do you think they'll make a big trade and shake up the lines or pairs or do you think they're just looking to add? -- @sammstormborn
Let's start here, with my home team and the team I know best. Being the NHL.com writer based in Boston has had its perks this season, including a front-row seat to a team that has been steaming toward the Stanley Cup Playoffs seemingly from the moment the puck dropped on the 2022-23 NHL season.
The biggest problem for the Boston Bruins is their salary cap situation. There's not a whole lot of room to play with there, which makes things challenging for general manager Don Sweeney and company -- especially assistant GM Evan Gold, their salary cap guru. But the Bruins are also targeting help on the defensive end. We've seen their defensive depth crumble a couple of times in recent memory, with injuries to Hampus Lindholm and Matt Grzelcyk and a bout of COVID-19 for Charlie McAvoy that helped scuttle their hopes in the Eastern Conference First Round last season in a seven-game loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, and concussions to Brandon Carlo and Kevan Miller in 2021.
The two top options appear to be Jakob Chychrun from the Arizona Coyotes and Vladislav Gavrikov from the Columbus Blue Jackets, as Elliotte Friedman discussed on "Hockey Night in Canada" on Saturday. Each deal would take a lot to be completed and it remains to be seen whether the Bruins are willing to pay the price for either. Of course, this could be their last go-around with either or both of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, both of whom are on one-year contracts, so the Bruins may be willing to dig a little deeper on a team with very clear Stanley Cup vibes than they would otherwise. Not that Sweeney has shied away from making big trade deadline deals in the past, as with Lindholm, last season.
I don't think that they're necessarily targeting offense or a shakeup of the lines. Getting forward Jake DeBrusk back already seems to be the jolt they have needed with two goals in two games since his return, and assuming they stay healthy over the next 10 days, I expect that to take a backseat to needs (or, rather, desires) to add on defense.
Which Western Conference team is going to the Stanley Cup Final? Seems wide open. -- @marsupial129
I'm right there with you. The Western Conference has been difficult to make heads or tails of all season -- and the injuries haven't helped. Teams like the Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights and Winnipeg Jets have been hit hard and at key positions.
If I were a gambler -- and, for the record, I am decidedly not -- I'd still have to put my money on a return engagement for the Avalanche. But even that comes with a huge question mark. Forward
Gabriel Landeskog
is nearing a return to skating and defenseman Cale Makar is in concussion protocol. As soon as one player has returned from the shelf, it has seemed like another has replaced him. It would be extremely difficult to repeat with those kinds of names out of commission. Still, the Avalanche are 11-2-2 in their past 15 games.
If it's not Colorado, I like the Dallas Stars. Starting with goaltending, they have what you need to make a deep run. Jake Oettinger is having an unbelievable season and, were it not for Linus Ullmark's dominance in Boston, he'd potentially be the favorite for the Vezina Trophy as the best goalie in the NHL. The Stars are second in the NHL in goals allowed per game (2.54), trailing only the Bruins (2.05) entering Tuesday, while their offense is middle of the pack at 3.21 per game (15th in the NHL). If Dallas is able to add a key piece before the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline at 3 p.m. ET on March 3, say Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane or San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier, the Stars could be the team to beat in the West, although each would be difficult to fit given their tight cap situation.
Whoever gets through in the Western Conference, though, could have a leg up on an Eastern Conference team that, while it could be more dominant and more skilled, will likely have just gotten through a three-round slog to the Final.

Should the Ducks go all in on the rebuild and trade John Gibson to a contender or play it safe and keep Gibson until we're ready to contend again? #FlyTogether -- @duckygraps
To me, the Anaheim Ducks should go all in. And that means trading John Gibson, if there's a market. And that's the question.
Hear me out: If Gibson were a little younger, I might have a different answer, but the Ducks goalie is nearing his 30th birthday (July 14) and while 30 isn't exactly old for goalies, it also isn't exactly young. Gibson has nine full seasons in the NHL under his belt and the last five haven't been easy. Add that to the fact that the Ducks have a high-end goalie prospect in their system in 22-year-old Lukas Dostal, who has played eight games this season in the NHL, and it all seems to add up.
The Ducks are starting to amass some serious talent, players that will bring fans to the seats at Honda Center and wins to their record in centers Trevor Zegras and Mason McTavish and forward Troy Terry. They have Dostal waiting in the wings. And they could use whatever return they get for Gibson to hasten along their rebuild.
But there are a few issues: Gibson's numbers have not been particularly impressive this season, with a 4.07 goals-against-average and .898 save percentage, and his contract runs another four seasons after this, which makes his trade value far from a slam dunk. But for teams potentially looking for some help in goal (Los Angeles Kings? Buffalo Sabres? Gibson's hometown Pittsburgh Penguins?) maybe there's a fit. If there is and I'm Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek, I'm going for it.

When will the NHL copy pro tennis, F1 and the PGA and launch a Netflix series? These series have been a hit and would be beneficial to growing the game. So why hasn't there been any chatter on improving the game through new and novel avenues like a streamed series? #OverTheBoards -- @theashcity
Getting a look inside teams and franchises, getting an understanding of players and their personalities, is a really interesting direction that sports leagues are going. It makes for compelling television and absolutely is a selling point for the Leagues.
The NHL has done quite a bit of content in this vein -- they debuted 24/7: Road to the Winter Classic in 2010 -- and it has been well received. Teams have also produced content of this nature. The Bruins, for example, started "Behind the B" in 2013 and it's still on air, giving Boston fans an inside look at the team and the players.
The NHL has also produced "All or Nothing: Toronto Maple Leafs" and "Quest for the Stanley Cup," first on Showtime and now on ESPN.
In fact, the NHL was among the first to jump into this type of content and continue to do more in this vein. And, hey, maybe we'll see Ryan Reynolds end up as an owner of the Ottawa Senators and maybe "Welcome to Wrexham" will morph into "Welcome to Ottawa." I'd tune in.