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Winnipeg ships Drew Stafford to Boston for 2018 conditional pick
This has not been an easy season for Drew Stafford with the Winnipeg Jets.
Due to injuries, the 31-year-old forward has played in only 40 games and scored 13 points. The rumor mill surrounding the Stafford heated up in the days prior to the trade deadline. John Shannon added it appeared ‘inevitable’ he’d be moved the day of.
About thirty minutes after the deadline officially ended, Pierre LeBrun reported Stafford was on his way to the Boston Bruins for a conditional sixth round pick. About ninety minutes after that, it became officially-official when the Bruins announced their acquisition of Stafford and let it be known the pick was from the 2018 draft.
Per Craig Custance, the sixth round pick could become a fourth round pick if Stafford plays in at least 50-percent of Boston’s remaining regular season games, 50-percent of playoff games (should the Bruins make the playoffs), AND if the Bruins win in Round 1.
Stafford is making $4.35-million towards the cap this season. The Winnipeg Jets did not retain any salary in the transaction.
For this trade, we give it…
If Stafford manages to stay healthy and return to some semblance of his former self, he could be a great asset to the Bruins who essentially gave up a bag of pucks to get him.
But let’s be real here.
The conditions surrounding Winnipeg improving that pick to a fourth rounder weigh heavily on the expectation that the Bruins will make the playoffs and succeed in them.
The Ottawa Senators and Bruins are tied with 72 points in the Atlantic Division and sit in second and third place, respectively. The Toronto Maple Leafs are in the second Wild Card spot with 69 (nice) points and Florida is on the outside at 68 points.
It’s going to be a mosh pit in the Atlantic to see who makes the playoffs. The best hope for the Bruins to win in the first round is to secure the second or third spot in the Atlantic so they can avoid the winner of the ultra competitive Metro.
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Jen Neale is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter!
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