The Vancouver Canucks have acquired center Jack Studnicka from the Boston Bruins in exchange for goaltender Michael DiPietro and defenseman Jonathan Myrenberg.
Studnicka has the most NHL experience of the group, but he’s played only one game this season, with no points in that match. The 2017 second-round pick has played 38 games so far in his NHL career, with one goal, six assists and seven points in four seasons with the Bruins. He’s been quite productive in the AHL, however, with 34 goals, 62 assists and 96 points in 117 games over the course of five seasons.
DiPietro might be the most interesting piece in the trade, as he was once a highly touted prospect, but hasn’t quite lived up to it just yet. The 2017 third-round pick has played only three games in his NHL career, allowing 11 goals in those games with a .771 save percentage, but he was thrown to the wolves in one of those three games, his NHL debut in 2018-19. His AHL numbers aren’t much better, with a .905 save percentage in 74 games, and he mostly drew hype from his World Juniors performance in 2019, with a .952 save percentage in four games.
Myrenberg is the youngest piece in this trade, as the 19 year old was selected in the fifth round of the 2021 draft. He’s currently playing in the first division Swedish league, with one goal, two assists and three points in nine games for Mora IK.
While the motive behind the deal for either team isn’t clear, there are a couple notes of interest. For the Canucks, they get a young forward right in that timeframe of breaking out, and while he couldn’t find a spot on the Bruins, he could do so on the Canucks, and allow them to shake up the forward depth a bit amidst an 0-5-2 start. For the Bruins, Studnicka is in the final year before he becomes eligible for waivers, so if they didn’t see him making the team next year, they have one less minor problem on their hands and get two young players in return.
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