from Ryan Dixon of Sportsnet,

There is, however, another unique situation in the league right now Boston might be able to exploit in that two very, very good centres could be had via trade. Both Elias Lindholm of the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jet Mark Scheifele are one year away from unrestricted free agency with more than a little summer-long speculation their time with their current clubs could end before July 1 of 2024.

Scheifele, in particular, would seem like a dream fit for Boston.

Nobody is going to replicate Bergeron in terms of being a two-way presence, to say nothing of the calm, sturdy leadership he brought to the club. But if you’re forced into replacing a right-shot centre at the top of your lineup, you could sure do worse than slotting in another righty who comes in a six-foot-three package and just set a career high with 42 goals in the same season he turned 30.

There’s no denying a Scheifele move would be tricky for Boston on a couple of fronts. First off, the B’s have a bottom-five farm system and have already spent significant draft capital at recent trade deadlines trying, in vain, to bring the second title in careers of Bergeron and Krejci to Massachusetts. The futures Boston can offer just might not tantalize the Jets all that much.

Also, there’s that pesky salary cap that won’t be increasing for another year. The Bruins are already up against it, so squeezing in Scheifele’s hit of $6.1 million for 2023-24 would take some work.

Still, GM Don Sweeney could find a way.

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