Bruins Face Unique Circumstances Following Blockbuster Trade

BOSTON — The Boston Bruins have their own issues to worry about, but one relatively unique storyline will dominate the conversation around Saturday’s matchup with the Colorado Avalanche.

The Avalanche traded one of their best players just hours before the puck dropped at TD Garden.

Mikko Rantanen was shipped off in a blockbuster three-way trade on Friday. Colorado came away from the deal with winger Martin Necas, center Jack Drury and a pair of draft picks, the Carolina Hurricanes obtained Rantanen and winger Taylor Hall and the Chicago Blackhawks — who were needed to facilitate the trade — took on half of the former’s cap hit in exchange for its own draft pick that had previously been traded.

Yes, it’s a whopper of a trade.

The Bruins aren’t necessarily focused on how much change it’ll provide, however, as there’s no sense in preparing for something you’re in the dark about.

“(The Avalanche) are obviously going through a shift in their lineup — big trade — but that doesn’t change how we approach it,” Bruins interim head coach Joe Sacco said pregame. “We have to make some adjustments, obviously, to figure out what they may or may not do with Rantanen in there — on the power play, especially. It’s all speculation right now, though, because we haven’t had the opportunity to see which guys are going to slide in there, but we know what we’re facing here today.”

Colorado still has two of the very best players in hockey skating on Saturday, so the focus shifts from preparing for Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Rantanen, to just the former two — which is plenty.

“We know they still have two elite players in this league, one on the front end and one on the backend, that are difference makers,” Sacco said. “… It’s going to be important for us to manage the puck well, not feed into their transition game and try to limit their time and space — because if No. 29 and No. 8 get going, along with some other guys, those are the to keys. We want to try and take away their space and time, as much as possible, and not let them build up speed. We want to neutralize it as best we can.”

The Bruins and Avalanche will take the ice at TD Garden at 1 p.m. ET, with the game being available on NESN and NESN 360.