Bruins Rumor Round-Up: Hertl, Chychrun, Middleton, and more

The NHL trade deadline is just four days away!

The Bruins only have one more game before Monday afternoon’s deadline, so you’d expect the rumor mill to really start churning in the coming days.

Thus far, rumors, reports, rumblings, etc. have basically confirmed that the Bruins are “interested” in the guys we’ve all heard about.

It’s worth noting that all of these (except the first one) are rumors, with varying degrees of likelihood...just have fun with it.

Here’s a rundown on what’s been out there:

Tomas Hertl is off the board...

Let’s start off the rumor round-up with the one item on the list that is actual confirmed news!

The dream target of many B’s fans will remain but a dream, as the pending free agent decided to re-sign with his current team and remain in San Jose.

The 28-year-old forward signed an eight-year contract extension worth $64 million on Wednesday, meaning the Bruins will have to look elsewhere to make their big splash.

...but the Bruins remain interested in one of his teammates

According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN, the Bruins are one of a handful of teams kicking the tires on Hertl’s San Jose teammate, Jacob Middleton.

Middleton is a 6’3”, 218-pound, left-shot defenseman who has been having a good season for San Jose.

The 26 year old’s cap hit is just $725,000 (meaning the prorated hit is even smaller), and he’ll be a restricted free agent after this season.

Per LeBrun, the Sharks will be looking for some combination of a second-round draft pick and another draft pick or prospect.

Jakob Chychrun is still on the radar

It seems like Operation Injure Chychrun to Drive Down His Trade Value hasn’t worked quite as planned.

Per Darren Dreger, the Bruins remain “committed to staying in the hunt” for the Arizona Coyotes defenseman.

Chychrun’s injury apparently isn’t as bad as it initially looked, and he may be back to game action within two weeks.

Dreger mentioned that the Los Angeles Kings remain in the mix too, which would make things tough for the Bruins, as they can likely offer a more attractive pick/prospect package.

Of course, that all depends on what teams are willing to give up, so...we’ll see!

If nothing else, we get to embrace the yearly tradition of the Bruins “being interested in” a Coyotes defenseman (Keith Yandle, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, etc).

Other random notes

• The Bruins’ Atlantic Division rivals made a big acquisition last night, acquiring Ben Chiarot from the Montreal Canadiens. Opinions on how good (or bad) Chiarot are vary wildly, but he’s certainly not going to make the division-leading Panthers worse.
• Speaking of the Panthers, they’re reportedly chasing down Claude Giroux as well, and the interest appears to be mutual.
• Seattle Kraken captain Mark Giordano was honored for playing 1,000 NHL games, then didn’t play against the Lightning as Seattle prepares to find him a new home.
• The TNT intermission team suggested Giordano (no) and Conor Garland (yes) as guys the Bruins should pursue at the deadline. It’s worth noting that these were both mentioned as “yeah go get that guy,” not rumors of any substance.

Your thoughts? Where do you think Giroux, Giordano, etc. end up?

Also, it's worth mentioning that I put this together last night after the game ended, so if you've got updated scoops, put them in the comments!