BOSTON — Andrew Peeke knows the drill.
The Bruins’ 27-year-old defenseman will be an unrestricted free agent after the season. With only four games and just over two weeks until the March 6 deadline, he’s likely to have his name pop up in trade rumors quite a bit.
He’s been there before. The Bruins picked him up at the trade deadline in 2023 from Columbus.
“I’m just taking it day by day like anyone in this position. I’m not the first guy to go through something like this,” he said. “I like being here and I’m focused on trying to pull some wins together for this team.”
In his three years in Boston, Peeke has gone from a healthy scratch on the Blue Jackets to fixture on the Bruins blue line. A solid defensive presence at 27, there’s likely to be interest in him both at the deadline and in free agency.
Peeke chose not to reveal whether there’s been any negotiations with the Bruins about an extension.
“I’m going to keep that between me and my agent,” he said.
Peeke said he’s prepared for the anxiety and uncertainty of the next weeks.
“Being in the league for a few years. Seeing it when I was in Columbus and here last year, a couple of guys had to go through it,” he said. “It’s part of the business. That’s how it goes. At the end of the day, you control what you can control.”
Peeke presents an interesting case for the Bruins. It would be stunning for Boston to go into full seller mode, while currently in a playoff spot (second wild card). The front office has been clear in its desire to get back into the postseason. They already showed a willingness to add players when they negotiated with Calgary for Rasmus Andersson, who was eventually dealt to Vegas.
But Peeke’s situation presents the following questions:
∗ Do the Bruins want to re-sign Peeke and believe they’re close enough to a deal to make that likely? If they do, then the rest of this doesn’t matter.
∗ Would they trade Peeke, risking their bottom-end playoff spot this year to help strengthen the position in the future? Peeke’s age, size and right-shot status will draw interest. He could fetch a prospect or a decent draft pick that might help Boston in the future.
The Bruins have to decide if they are willing to keep Peeke now to help protect their current playoff position and risk losing him for nothing as a free agent. Which leads to this:
∗ How much do they think losing Peeke would hurt in the short term? If they trade Peeke, Boston would be incredibly thin at right defense, with only Charlie McAvoy and Henri Jokiharju as right shots. Even their two most ready defensemen in Providence are left shots.
∗ Could they acquire another defenseman and then deal Peeke? This is an interesting needle for Sweeney to thread. If they’d acquired Andersson, Peeke might already have been traded. They can still upgrade, for sure. But the timing could be challenging. Plus, most of the right-shot defensemen, who are expected to be on the market are more expensive and older than Peeke.
