In most cases, general manager Peter Chiarelli has been more proactive than reactive when it comes to addressing the needs of the Boston Bruins. It’s a major reason why the B’s have never really lit the world on fire during the NHL trade deadline. It’s just not their style given the price you can pay versus if and when the market prices jump over the moon for what’s typically a band aid.
But they’re no strangers to dipping into the rapids of deadline day either.
Last year, the B’s acquired Jaromir Jagr the day before the trade window closed, and added veteran defensemen Wade Redden just minutes before the deadline became official. For Jagr, Boston traded youngsters Lane MacDermid and Cody Payne, and moved a draft pick that turned into a 1st by virtue of the B’s reaching the Eastern Conference Finals, and paid just a seventh rounder to acquire Redden from the St. Louis Blues.
The year before, Boston’s big deadline buys came with the acquisitions of Mike Mottau and Brian Rolston from the New York Islanders, and Greg Zanon from Minnesota. Chiarelli and company sent never-were prospects Yannick Riendeau and Yury Alexandrov to NY for the veteran pair of Mottau and Rolston, while Steve Kampfer was sent packing to the State of Hockey in exchange for the stay-at-home Zanon.
In 2010-11, the Bruins got their work done early by acquiring guys like Chris Kelly, Tomas Kaberle, and Rich Peverley well before the deadline. Forced to move talents such as Joe Colborne (to Toronto), Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart (to Atlanta), the deals also came at the cost of a first and second round pick in 2011.
Boston did however make a move at that year’s deadline, trading for Anton Khudobin, and sending Jeff Penner and the rights to Mikko Lehtonen to get their goaltender.
Ravaged by injuries and inconsistencies in 2009-10, the Bruins had their most aggressive deadline day in ‘10, moving Derek Morris (back) to Phoenix for a fourth round pick, and acquiring Dennis Seidenberg and then-prospect Matt Bartkowski from Florida in exchange for Craig Weller, Byron Bitz, and a 2010 second round pick.
And in ‘09, the East-best Bruins’ best move came in a trade that brought Mark Recchi to the Hub in exchange for Matt Lashoff and Martins Karsums. They also acquired Steve Montador for Petteri Nokelainen.
The trend among all these moves? The B’s give up a little, but get quite a bit. Obviously, trades like the Kampfer-for-Zanon swap had little impact on the club’s playoff run, but it seems as if the Bruins have found more hits than misses when it comes to their deadline. Recchi, Seidenberg, and Rolston stand out as highly successful moves based on what was give up, which in most cases, was trash at best.
Should fans in Boston expect something similar this afternoon? Yes, and no.
There are undoubtedly moves to be made for the Black-and-Gold. Veteran defensemen Henrik Tallinder, Andrej Meszaros, and Ron Hainsey are still on the market and can be had for a modest price (think anywhere from a third/fourth round pick and a prospect) based on what others have paid for similar talent thus far. And the you can connect the dots that have reportedly led to heavy scouting between the B’s and Blue Jackets, with names like Nikita Nikitin and Jack Johnson coming up on the Bruins’ radar. And unless the Bruins are really sold on top-four playoff minutes for Bartkowski, there’s a soon-to-be-Bruin there.
But one thing we’ve consistently heard: Chiarelli doesn’t want to move anybody off this roster.
Much has been made of Boston’s alleged “showcasing… of Jordan Caron last night, but there’s little that Caron, a former first rounder, can fetch given his rather uneventful NHL resume spent primarily on the Bruins’ bottom six. If Caron’s moved, a bottom six injury means Justin Florek or perhaps Matthew Lindblad is up with the club and on the Bruins’ fourth line.
I’m not sure that Chiarelli and Co, a team that had to plug Kaspars Daugavins into the Stanley Cup Final last year, wants to test their luck in the depth department once more.
On a speculation note intend to scare the masses: B’s winger Loui Eriksson was nowhere to be found on the ice at B’s practice this morning. Caron is once again skating in his place on Boston’s third line, but the Bruins are standing by the fact that Eriksson is still dealing with a minor injury. Eriksson does have a no-trade clause, and again, I’ll be absolutely shocked if Eriksson is moved out of town in a season where he’s suffered two concussions. You still haven’t seen Eriksson’s best, and I think that everybody in the Bruins’ front office realizes that.
They’re not Philly, they have a bit more patience in their talents.
12:05 p.m. update: The B's have claimed Corey Potter off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers. The 30-year-old Potter has played in just 16 contests this year, tallying five assists with 16 hits and 17 blocked shots. The 6-foot-3 Potter is a righty defensemen, so this definitely isn't their answer, and could tell you more about the health status of Adam McQuaid. This is a depth move and nothing more.