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Live from Newark, where the B's are goin' bananas

June 30, 2013, 10:16 AM ET [11 Comments]
Ty Anderson
Boston Bruins Blogger •Bruins Feature Columnist • RSSArchiveCONTACT
I picked one hell of a day to decide to drive to New Jersey to cover tomorrow's NHL Draft, huh?

Following a week that's simply crushed the hearts of Bostonians, the hits kept on coming this afternoon when the agent for B's top-liner and pending unrestricted free-agent Nathan Horton came out and confirmed that his client was "moving on" from Boston. This of course, is on the heels of a report earlier this week that initially suggested that the 28-year-old Horton would take a 'hometown discount' to remain in Black-and-Gold.

Citing a decision to 'explore other options' over everyone's initial belief -- that of course being more money heading Horton's way in what's likely his final major payday as an NHLer -- there's no doubt that Horton's going to get his money from somebody next week, and that Boston will surely miss him on their top-six.

In three years with the Bruins, Horton recorded 56 goals and 107 points in 169 regular season contests, and while sometimes 'disappearing' throughout the grind of regular season hockey, Horton left his mark on this era of B's hockey with just two (absurd) runs.

Scoring eight goals and tallying 17 points in 22 games during the Bruins' 2011 successful run towards Lord Stanley (with three game-winning goals -- including two in Game 7s), the presence of playoff rookie No. 18 was simply invaluable, and evident as concussion problems in 2012 kept him out of the Bruins' first round exit to the Washington Capitals -- and again as Horton's return to action for the 2013 run led to yet another trip to the Finals.

Wrapping up his B's career with 15 goals and 36 points in just 43 playoff games -- putting him 31st all-time on the franchise's playoff scoring leaderboard -- it's clear that the cash- strapped B's weren't getting Horton on any sort of favorable deal (in the four-year, $20 million range). And now where do they turn?

How about trading 21-year-old forward Tyler Seguin?

As crazy as it sounds, it's evidently a possibility for B's GM Peter Chiarelli.

Beginning his six-year, $34.5 million extension signed last year in 2013-14, and with his progression hitting its share of bumps throughout the lockout-shortened grind, the Black-and-Gold are reportedly listening to offers for the former No. 2 overall pick in an attempt to bring about some much needed cap relief. Seguin, as talent as he is, comes with a $5.75 million cap-hit beginning next year, and if there's another dud of a campaign on the way, the value plummets, and the B's will be theoretically 'stuck' with Seguin.

While the asking price for No. 19 is still (obviously) high -- with Boston seeking at least a top-10 pick in this year's draft and beyond -- it seems unlikely that today will fly by with the Brampton, Ont. native exiting the Hub unless the Bruins get an offer that blows their doors off. So far, it appears that the serious suitors are the Columbus Blue Jackets, Calgary Flames, and Tampa Bay Lightning, but they're mere speculated suitors as of this morning.

On another trade note, expect the Bruins to make an attempt to get back into the first round. Without a first round pick due to the Jaromir Jagr trade with the Dallas Stars back in April, the B's know the potency of this draft and they certainly "want in." What they're willing to move to get that done, however, remains a different story.

And while he certainly won't fetch a first rounder back, the Bruins are expected to shop the rights of pending unrestricted free-agent 34-year-old blue-liner Andrew Ference.

More from the draft floor later.
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