Bruins Rumored To Be 'Looking To Trade' Dennis Seidenberg To Avoid Buyout, Despite No-Trade Clause
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The NHL's window for contract buyouts is wide open and the Boston Bruins have a possible candidate in defenseman Dennis Seidenberg. But the team would much rather trade the 34-year-old blueliner to avoid paying the price of a buyout and are actively looking to do so despite his full no-movement clause.
Jimmy Murphy of Dirty Water Media tweeted Friday morning that the Bruins have "nothing new" to report on possibly buying out Seidenberg, but are "looking to trade" him and have yet to find a "dance partner."
Seidenberg is due $7 million over the final two years of his contract. Under current buyout rules, the Bruins would pay two-thirds of his $7 million against the cap and spread it out over four years. A Seidenberg buyout would add about $1.16 million in dead cap money over the next four seasons, which would save the Bruins money for the first two seasons but cost them in the final two.
While a buyout wouldn't cripple the Bruins, rumors of a possible trade should not shock anyone. The obvious (better) option would be to move Seidenberg for a draft pick and possibly eat some of his remaining salary. It's more likely that they would make a similar deal to what the Chicago Blackhawks made earlier this week, shipping talented young winger Teuvo Teravainen to the Carolina Hurricanes as a way of jettisoning the expensive contract of buyout candidate Bryan Bickell.
The big obstacle blocking a Seidenberg trade, however, is the defenseman's full no-trade clause, which expands to a list of eight teams on January 1, 2017. Seidenberg told the Boston Herald back in May that he plans to be with the Bruins next season and would be "done playing hockey" if he were bought out.
The NHL's buyout window closes on Thursday, June 30 at 5 p.m. ET.
This article was updated to reflect accuracy regarding Dennis Seidenberg's no-trade clause.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
