The Boston Bruins are the newest entrants into the Dan Hamhuis sweepstakes, joining the Dallas Stars today as teams connected to the impending UFA blue liner. Like the Stars, the Bruins have a strong team going into the playoffs, absent an experienced puck-mover from the back end. It’s no surprise that they’re making a play for Hamhuis.

Don Sweeney has done a good of liquefying assets in his first year at the helm of the Bruins. This strategy lent itself well to entering last year’s draft with three first-round selections. They’re well on their way to another volume heavy draft as well, slated to enter the 2017 NHL Entry Draft with nine selections – two of which are in the first.

They’ve got the assets to spare. The Canucks have a player they need. There might be something here.

Boston has the cap space to make such a deal work, but there’s definitely a question mark surrounding the fit. The Bruins blue line could use work, but mostly on their right side. Hamhuis, of course, plays on the left side. Acquiring Hamhuis would mean either dealing Joe Morrow in this or another package. Or, it means placing Morrow in the press box. Neither option is overly appealing. The Bruins have a lot of problems on their blue and he’s not one of them.

Beyond the aforementioned draft picks, though, the Bruins have a wealth of assets that might be appealing to Canucks general manager, Jim Benning. At the top of the list is Alexander Khoklachev. Benning scouted Khoklachev in his time with the Bruins and apparently played a large role in that selection at the 2011 Draft. He’s a point-per-game-plus player in the AHL, on the cusp of breaking through to the NHL in a full-time capacity and offers positional versatility to boot. At just 22-years old, it might be a project worth taking on.

In a similar vein, on the lower end of this scale, is Seth Griffith. Like Khoklachev, Griffith was selected during Benning’s stay within the Bruins organization. He’s old enough that he’s leaving prospect territory, but not a write off just yet.

If the Canucks are looking to bring in a blue chip prospect on the back-end, they might circle the wagon on Brandon Carlo, who was selected by the Bruins in the second-round of last year’s draft. If you’ll recall, Benning scouted Carlo extensively last season. There’s a wealth of familiarity there and his size would be enticing.

We’ll keep you posted as developments are made available.