A reunion between the Boston Bruins and
Michael Ryder seemed to be the standby option for just about every Hub of Hockey enthusiast out there.
One of beloved figure from the 2011 Stanley Cup run and fixture on the Boston wing from 2008 to 2011, one of two things were going to happen in regards to the 32-year-old’s tenure in Dallas that’d ultimately land him back in Boston on or before the deadline; He’d either wear out his welcome in a Stars uniform due to inconsistent play and be moved in a contract year so that Dallas received some sort of consolation prize or Dallas would fall out of the race and they’d sell him off to the highest bidder under the same logic. Well, unfortunately for the Bruins, neither happened before the Newfoundland native was moved, and not to Boston.
Anywhere but, actually.
In an early season shocker if there was one, it wasn’t the Bruins that splurged for the five-time 25-goal scorer, but rather the Montreal Canadiens. Acquiring Ryder (and a third round pick) in exchange for the slumping
Erik Cole, the gauntlet’s been thrown, and the Habs are making it clear that they’re going to contend in the Northeast (and the East for that matter) in this 48-game grind. With that move, however, what you heard out of New England was about a thousand Bruins-driven voices cry out, “Sh-t.”
As mentioned, Ryder was the standby option.
If a (fantasy) move for Calgary’s
Jarome Iginla fell through, Ryder was going to be there for Boston. If the Ottawa Senators continued to defy the odds and win, thus taking captain
Daniel Alfredsson off the market, Ryder was going to Boston.
In essence, Ryder was the backup option, but somehow also the best option. When it comes to establishing the needs of a Boston squad that’s won 12 of their first 16 in 2013, there’s little need for the Bruins to go out and blow the doors off the league’s walls with a deadline blockbuster. Instead, general manager
Peter Chiarelli and the Black-and-Gold are best suited aiming for a veteran with the ability to help out both the power-play and make the somewhat inconsistent third line featuring
Rich Peverley,
Chris Kelly, and classic ‘in-betweener’
Chris Bourque a more dangerous unit.
A role that would’ve been perfect for Ryder, who provided just that exact presence in 2011, scoring eight goals and finishing with 17 points in 25 playoff games. But again, that’s not happening, so it’s time to look elsewhere. And just where should the Bruins’ search begin?
While atop the wishlist for Bruins fans for almost a decade now, the likelihood of Iginla ever coming to Boston in a trade seems to border on lunacy. It’s been said that Iginla will stay with the Flames ‘til there’s literally no way for Calgary to fight their way into the playoff picture, and it’s been said that Calgary will not move Iginla until they’re mathematical out, something that usually comes well after the deadline’s passed.
But even if we’re to even entertain the notion that the Bruins are making a move for a 35-year-old Iginla that’s scored just three goals in 18 contests this year, the dreaded asking price seems to be an instant turnoff for anybody in Boston.
When these rumors first swirled years ago, the Flames' asking price centered around a package featuring the Bruins' top line winger,
Milan Lucic. And let's not even waste time pretending that the Bruins would even contemplate moving a 24-year-old power forward that's only getting better with experience for a middle-aged rental.
Yet, if Iginla and his outerworld asking price are out of Boston's range, where do the Bruins look next?
Of course, the 40-year-old Daniel Alfredsson has always seemed to be a viable option for the Bruins,
as noted last week. But when it comes to 'Alfie' and the Sens, any potential breakup between No. 11 and the only franchise he's ever known since breaking into the league back in '95 won't come without the 16-year veteran's approval. And Ipso facto, it's hard to envision a scenario that takes the Swedish captain out of Ottawa unless the injuries (finally) have their effect on a Senators roster that's simply refused to quit despite the loss of
Erik Karlsson,
Jason Spezza, and even
Craig Anderson.
For Alfredsson, whose trophy room includes pretty much everything outside of a Stanley Cup, coming close but failing to lead the way for the Sens in 2007's series against the super-talented Anaheim Ducks, it may very well boil down to how the 5-foot-11 winger feels about his body and mental ability to move forward. If this is it, and this 48-game season will be Alfredsson's last hurrah, it's entirely possible that he hits the market, and is reunited with Chiarelli,
Zdeno Chara, and
Chris Kelly for one final push for a Stanley Cup. A versatile forward, Alfredsson's ability to be put anywhere in the Bruins' top-nine and provide a secondary scoring presence and bolster the Bruins' power-play makes him an obvious candidate to be Chiarelli and company's No. 1 choice, and could put the Sens'
Bryan Murray in the position of honoring the franchise's greatest skater with the chance to win a championship before riding off into the sunset.
Alas, all of this is dependent on the Sens' ability to continue to win despite a plethora of injuries to impact players. Basically, if the Senators don't start crashing and burning, and soon, you're not seeing a Black-and-Gold playoff 'stache from Alfredsson.
Beyond Iginla and Alfredsson, many have looked towards the Panthers'
Stephen Weiss as yet another trade target for a Bruins club that's shown an interest in acquiring Florida Panthers. Beginning with the club's trade for
Dennis Seidenberg at the deadline in 2010, the Bruins have since rescued forwards
Gregory Campbell and
Nathan Horton outta the Florida malaise, and could have considerable interest in doing the same with the 29-year-old centermen. In the final year of a contract that pays the former fourth overall pick a modest $3.1 million dollar salary, a slow start and daunting odds to repeat last year's improbable run to the postseason puts the Panthers'
Dale Tallon in the position of adding talent to his competing-while-rebuilding squad.
Off to a slow start in a 2013 that's come with just one goal and four points with a minus-11 rating in 14 contests, a change of scenery may be the only solution to Weiss the Panther's problem, and with a solid playoff sample, tallying three goals and two assists in seven games last year, the Toronto, Ont. native could be destined to skate on the Bruins' top-nine. Next to the obvious points, including Weiss' NHL resume featuring 145 goals and 394 points in 651 contests, a Stephen Weiss addition to the roster would give the Bruins three players capable of playing center on their third line, joining Rich Peverley and Chris Kelly.
And as we've learned, you can simply never have too many centers.
However, the search for an offensive boost at the deadline would of course continue in the East, where a player like the Flyers'
Danny Briere presents the Bruins with everything they'd need and more. As insane as it sounds for a Philadelphia club struggling early in 2013, another prolonged slump may make the never-say-die Flyers face the reality of becoming sellers, something that'd put the 35-year-old forward on the Bruins (and everyone else's) radar.
Everybody knows the book on Briere: All he does is score, and score big goals.
Since trading his Buffalo jersey in for a Philly one back in 2007, the speedy forward has epitomized 'clutch' for the Black-and-Orange, tallying a superhuman 37 goals and 72 points in just 68 playoff contests. But when it comes to his work outside of the playoffs (as if that should matter), the 5-foot-10 Briere has been a focal point of the Flyers' power-play, with 36 of his 128 points since the 2010-11 season coming on the man-advantage.
Briere's without question a game-changer, and undoubtedly the Bruins' best bet when it comes to winning their second Cup in three years, but what about the
details?
Unlike the other names mentioned thus far, Briere's contract comes with a $6.5 million cap-hit in not only 2013, but 2013-14 as well. And with the shrinking cap, it's simply impossible to imagine a scenario where the Bruins are able to add No. 48 to the fold without having to part with somebody currently in the Boston locker room, something that Chiarelli has been vehemently against since the core skated with Lord Stanley in June 2011.
Aside from the cap-hit, the 14-year veteran skates in Philadelphia with a full no-movement clause to his name, and has seemed anything but willing to depart with the city that he's called home for almost seven years now. "Trades are not my department. I've been a Flyer for a long time. My heart belongs in Philadelphia with the Flyers," Briere told the
Philadelphia Daily News. "I can't see myself playing anywhere else."
But where there's smoke, there's fire, and we'll of course come back to the scene of Chiarelli and Flyers' general manager
Paul Holmgren chatting it up during the entire second intermission of last week's Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins contest.
Now, for a Philadelphia club in the market for a right-handed defensemen, a package featuring somebody like
Johnny Boychuk (under contract for two more years with a $3.3 million cap-hit after this year), a prospect, and more may present the Flyers with an intriguing offer, but is it one that could be bested? You'd have to assume so, especially with the report out of St. Louis that the asking price to potentially land Briere in Blue-and-Yellow has centered around Philly acquiring the vastly underrated
Kevin Shattenkirk.
The reality of the Bruins' situation is that it's still too early for the club to pull the trigger on a deal, even with the Ryder to Montreal trade in the books. Through 16 contests, we've seen the Black-and-Gold excel at the penalty-kill to an insane degree, score at a modest pace, but struggle on the power-play. Undoubtedly in dire need of improvement on the 5-on-4, heck even the 5-on-3, the Bruins' needs are there, but it will not come at the cost of an NHL talent if the club has their say. When it comes to making a trade, the Bruins' trade chips reside in Providence. Whether it's the former first rounder
Jordan Caron, whose stock has fizzled due to injuries, inconsistencies, and struggles that have kept him in the American Hockey League over the likes of names like
Lane MacDermid the ancient
Jay Pandolfo, the club's plethora of AHL defensemen like
Torey Krug,
David Warsofsky, or
Tommy Cross.
Unfortunately in the case of the B's, the value of the aforementioned prospects, say even with the inclusion of a first round pick in 2013, may simply not be enough to bring any real pieces to town, and put the Bruins in the position where their reluctance
to move one of the components of their big league roster will be tested.
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