Report: Bruins deadline deal for Canucks D Alex Edler scuttled by another shelved trade

The Vancouver Canucks held onto star center Ryan Kesler at the NHL trade deadline, despite the U.S. Olympian reportedly having requested a trade.  

Vancouver's ultimate unwillingness to move their two-way ace had a "domino effect" on the trade market as a whole, and reportedly may have prevented several other trades from being consummated. 

We know that Pittsburgh and Anaheim, for example, were left in the lurch by Vancouver's reluctance to move Kesler. But it's also possible that the Boston Bruins had their best laid plans fouled up by Vancouver's inaction.

From the Boston Globe's Fluto Shinzawa:

"President Cam Neely told 98.5 The Sports Hub the Bruins had a deal in principle for a player with term remaining on his contract. That trade was shelved, Neely said, because another deal did not happen.

According to a team source, the Bruins’ trade fizzled because an expected transaction between Vancouver and Pittsburgh failed to take place.

The Penguins had been pursuing Ryan Kesler. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the Penguins were offering Brandon Sutter, first- and third-round picks, and a defensive prospect.

Once the Canucks moved Kesler to Pittsburgh, they would have proceeded with their trade with the Bruins. The Bruins’ target could not be confirmed. But it’s likely they were targeting smooth-moving left-shot defenseman Alex Edler."

The 27-year-old Edler is having a down year, but remains the complete package: a large, physical and relatively young defenseman with high-end offensive skills. He'd have provided the Bruins with precisely the type of stopgap they'll arguably require in the absence of injured defenseman Dennis Seidenberg.

According to Shinzawa, the Bruins were offering Matt Bartkowski and one of Ryan Spooner or Alexander Khokhlachev in return for Edler. Presumably the return would've had to be Spooner, as the Canucks have only employed one Russian born skater (Sergei Shirokov) in the entirety of general manager Mike Gillis' tenure.