3 players the Boston Bruins should trade after humiliating postseason exit

The Boston Bruins need a shakeup after losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games.

A year after losing to the St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup Final, the Boston Bruins have fallen in the second round to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Not only that, but the series wasn’t truly that close – Tampa won in five games.

It’s clear the Bruins need to make some changes if they want to win another Stanley Cup with their current core of players. Tuukka Rask isn’t getting any younger. Neither is Zdeno Chara (who might have just played his last game). Nor are Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, or Brad Marchand.

The Bruins need a shakeup. Their supporting cast around their stars simply isn’t good enough. Here are three players they should trade this offseason.

3. Ondrej Kase

At the trade deadline, the Boston Bruins gave up a lot to get Ondrej Kase from the Anaheim Ducks. On paper, it looked like a good move. Kase was supposed to help fix the Bruins second line and give them a much-needed scoring punch. Instead, he had just 5 points in 20 games between the regular season and postseason with the Bruins. None of those 5 points were goals.

Considering they gave up a first-round pick for him, it wouldn’t surprise me if he stays on the roster for next season. But the Bruins should consider trading him to replenish some of the resources they gave up to get him. Sometimes, it’s best to just admit you screwed up and fix your mistake.

Kase still has a bit of value despite his injury history. He’s an undeniably impressive goal scorer. Also, Kase is relatively cheap, as he has a $2.6 million cap hit for next season before becoming a restricted free agent. Someone’s going to want him because if Kase is healthy, he has the talent to be a very good top-six forward. But he simply isn’t a fit with the Bruins.