The Bruins did their wheeling and dealing prior to yesterday’s swap meet, acquiring the trio of Chris Kelly (from Ottawa), Rich Peverley (from Atlanta), and Tomas Kaberle (Toronto). Since their arrivals, the B’s haven’t lost a game, currently riding a season-high five-game win streak, as they hope to end their road trip Tuesday night with a perfect 6-0 record.

While the B’s didn’t tinker with their NHL roster yesterday before the 3 p.m. deadline, GM Peter Chiarelli did make two deals involving players from his Providence roster:

• Late Sunday night, it was announced that forward Brian McGrattan and defenseman Sean Zimmerman had been shipped to Anaheim in exchange for a pair of forwards, David Laliberte and Stefan Chaput.
• Then yesterday, Chiarelli sent defenseman Jeff Penner and winger Mikko Lehtonen to Minnesota, in order to acquire goaltender Anton Khudobin.
• Khudobin, Laliberte, and Chaput will all report to Providence for this weekend’s games.

And even though the Bruins weren’t very active in the days leading up to yesterday’s trade deadline, there were oddly a large number of ex-Bruins that changed addresses across the NHL over the past few days:

• Brad Boyes was traded from St. Louis to Buffalo
• Sergei Samsonov went from Carolina to Florida
• Paul Mara went back to Montreal from Anaheim
• Kris Versteeg left Toronto to join Philadephia
• Dennis Wideman headed north to Washington from Florida
• Also, Marco Sturm cleared waivers and will join Wideman as a member of the Capitals

© Brian Kintz for Sports of Boston, 2011. | Permalink | One comment
Filed under: Bruins, Featured.

The NHL’s 3 p.m. trade deadline came and went Wednesday afternoon, and unfortunately for Bruins fans, news of a major trade that would bring the team the offensive firepower they have lacked all season wouldn’t be heard all day long. Instead, teams from the top to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings wheeled and dealed, positioning their roster to achieve their goals, whether it to be to retool for the future or to make a Cup run this spring. But for Boston, save for a few small player shuffles early in the day, the B’s front office failed to deliver the shot in the arm this team needed to get them up off the mat and into serious contention. Instead, Boston will be another one-and-done team in the playoffs, if they even make it there at all.

On Tuesday, the B’s made a pair of minor moves, acquiring a pair of young defensemen in Michigan Wolverine Steve Kampfer and former Providence College standout Cody Wild. Wednesday, the blue line shuffle continued, as GM Peter Chiarelli sent free agent to be Derek Morris back to the Phoenix Coyotes for a fourth-round pick in 2011. He followed that up with the acquisition of German Olympian Dennis Seidenberg from Florida, along with Ohio State defenseman Matthew Bartkowski, giving up forwards Byron Bitz, Craig Weller, and a 2010 second-rounder.

Seidenberg, who many Bruins fans will remember from October 2008′s collision with Patrice Bergeron that resulted in a concussion for the Bruins center, also was a key player for the Hurricanes in last spring’s thrilling seven-game playoff series against the B’s. He currently leads the NHL in blocked shots with 179, but his offensive contributions leave a lot to be desired. Morris, who was considered a bust with his three goals as a Bruin, gets swapped out for Seidenberg, who has found the back of the net even less frequently, with only two lamp-lighters on the year.

And so the Bruins are left to play out the string of 21 remaining games, hoping to find the solution to their scoring needs from within the organization, all while the teams around them in the standings actively sought to get better before the deadline passed. Let’s now quickly assess the comings and goings of the Eastern Conference, now that the dust has settled from yet another active deadline day:

Washington

Welcoming in a quartet of new contributors in Joe Corvo, Scott Walker, Milan Jurcina, and Eric Belanger, the Caps capped off a roster built for a lengthy Cup run. Rumors spread early afternoon that they made a play for Boston’s Tim Thomas, but instead they will rely on the tandem of Theodore and Varlamov to bring home the hardware to the nation’s capital.

New Jersey

The Devils’ only move on the day was the acquisition of defenseman Martin Skoula from Toronto, who had just arrived their hours before from Pittsburgh in the Alex Ponikarovsky deal, but GM Lou Lamoriello already made his mark with the Ilya Kovalchuk acquisition before the Olympic break. New Jersey is poised to contend for the Eastern crown as well.

Ottawa

The Sens made a pair of deals before today’s fireworks even began, adding center Matt Cullen and defenseman Andy Sutton to their already strong roster. Ottawa’s not going away; they’re the team no one will want to face off with in the playoffs.

Pittsburgh

The Pens landed Ponikarovsky from Toronto late Tuesday night, but beyond that they didn’t make any impact moves at all, which is uncharacteristic for GM Ray Shero, judging from past deadline days. Pittsburgh knows how to win though, and they’ll be there in the end.

Buffalo

The Sabres were able to add some scoring punch up front with the acquisition of Blue Jackets winger Raffi Torres. With Olympic hero Ryan Miller in goal, this team can ride their goalie’s hot hand and hope that he can take them to the promised land, deep into the playoffs.

Philadelphia

With the loss of goalie Ray Emery for the rest of the year, many experts figured the Flyers would be active today, shopping for some netminding help. Instead, the phones were silent in Philly, leaving them reliant upon unproven goalies Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher. Yikes…

Montreal

Also quiet today were the bleu, blanc, et rouge in Montreal, who made only one small deal swapping forward Matt D’Agostini for Blues winger Aaron Palushaj. They may have enough to eek their way into the East’s top eight, but I don’t see that the Habs have a long playoff run in them this time around.

Boston

As I said above, they just didn’t do enough to fix the league’s worst offense. Unless Tuukka Rask can put this team on his shoulders and win a string of 2-1 games down the stretch, Boston’s playoff hopes are on life support.

NY Rangers

The Rangers were mighty quiet on deadline day, only involved in one small move swapping minor league forwards, but their early February addition of center Olli Jokinen from Calgary have the Ranger faithful hoping that the team can make a run at the top eight and then roll the dice come playoff time.

Atlanta

The Thrashers have already lost their star power with the shipment of Kovalchuk to New Jersey, but only two points out of the playoff picture, Atlanta could get rolling and find their way in. Unlikely though.

Tampa Bay

The ‘Ning unloaded forward Jeff Halpern to Los Angeles and didn’t get much in return. Their playoff hopes are slim, unless their stars, Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier, can turn it on and lead this team up the standings.

NY Islanders

Nothing earth-shattering from GM Garth Snow and the Islanders heading into deadline day. The Isles hung in there and battled for playoff positioning for a good portion of the season, but this youthful squad has begun to fade and will likely continue to fade into irrelevance by season’s end. Keep rebuilding, guys.

Florida

Unless the addition of Byron Bitz fills the missing piece to greatness for the Panthers, don’t expect Florida to be making any playoff plans come mid-April. I hear the golf is spectacular in the Sunshine State by then anyway.

Carolina

The ‘Canes had a yard sale in the days leading up to the deadline, selling off their prize possessions for pennies on the dollar. They were one of the busiest teams on the transaction wire, but for all the wrong reasons. ‘Canes fans better buy a program at their next game because many of those names and numbers will be new to the Carolina puckheads.

Toronto

GM Brian Burke was a busy man on the phones in recent weeks as well, and Wednesday was no exception. Wheeling and dealing like it was his job… and it is his job. Burke re-shaped his roster, and then re-shaped his roster again. All for what? Nothing immediate. Their place in the cellar of the Eastern Conference standings remains pretty secure. So while Boston fans are disappointed in what their own team didn’t do on deadline day, they have to be happy with how awful the Leafs are now, right? I smell a top three pick coming to the Hub of Hockey…and it smells good!

© Brian Kintz for Sports of Boston, 2010. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Bruins, Featured, Top Story.

A fifth round pick in the 2006 draft, Wild was a three-year star at Providence College. Playing in the ECHL, Wild tallied 14 assists in 37 games for Springfield.

The Bruins also acquired the rights to defensman Stephen Kampfer earlier in the day from the Ducks.

© KC Downey for Sports of Boston, 2010. | Permalink | One comment
Filed under: Bruins, News.

Kampfer, a senior at the University of Michigan, was picked 93rd overall selection in the 2007 Entry Draft by the Anaheim Ducks. During his time at Michigan, Kampfer has notched six goals and added 45 assists in 137 games, earning a plus-53 in addition to 130 penalty minutes. The 5-foot-11, 197-pound blueliner currently leads all Wolverine defenseman in assists (15), points (17) power-play points (1-10-11), and blocks (40).

Unfortunately for the Jackson, Michigan-native, he is most well-known for two incidents that occurred during his junior year, during which he played in 25 games. During the early morning hours of Oct. 12, 2008, Kampfer was left unconscious with a fractured skull and severe neck injury by Michigan football player Michael Milano following a verbal confrontation between Milano and an acquaintance of Kampfer.

Three months later, on January 24, 2009, Kampfer, having returned to the Wolverine hockey team just five days earlier, was clotheslined and sucker-punched by Michigan State hockey players Andrew Conboy and Corey Tropp during Michigan’s 5-3 win over the Spartans. With 53 seconds remaining in the game, Conboy jumped Kampfer from behind in retaliation for a clean, open-ice hit on Tropp, which had just occurred. Tropp, who was clearly uninjured, joined Conboy by slashing Kampfer, who had collapsed to the ice, in the neck area with his stick. Kampfer was taken to a local hospital as a precautionary measure and ruled uninjured, while Conboy and Tropp were both suspended by their own head coach.

Despite the attention Kampfer has drawn for less-than-fortunate reasons, it hasn’t been all negative. Kampfer’s head coach at Michigan, Red Berenson, said this of the defenseman:

“I think he has a lot of the intangibles that make a hockey player a lot more than what you see. Steven’s determination, grit and his overall attitude are terrific and I think those are things that you don’t always see on the ice. I can guarantee that Steven will just continue to get better.”

If Berenson’s words become reality, the Kampfer will certainly fit in with the Bruins both on and off the ice. Unfortunately, it will most likely be a few years before fans see the Wolverine in a spoked-B jersey, especially since the two parties are still yet to agree to a contract.

While the trade’s biggest implications will not be revealed for some time, the trade does hold some indicators concerning the direction the Bruins’ front office is looking toward as the National Hockey League moves toward Wednesday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline. Rumors saying that the Bruins have been looking to make acquisitions for a playoff push have been gaining traction since the end of the Olympics on Sunday, but Boston GM Peter Chiarelli has yet to pull the trigger on a big deal. The trade for Kampfer makes it look like Chiarelli is looking more toward the future of the Bruins, but considering the fact that the Bruins only gave up a fourth round pick, the team may just be hedging their bets. The next 24 hours will reveal the answer.

© Erikk for Sports of Boston, 2010. | Permalink | One comment
Filed under: Bruins.

For the Boston Bruins, the current season has been a far cry from last season’s Eastern-Conference-winning effort and the expectations that accompanied such a feat. Winless at the TD Garden in 2010, the Bruins have lost eight in a row and ten of their last eleven, with that sole win coming in a shootout. The team has plummeted in the standings, going from fifth place to twelfth place over the course of a few days. They have scored fewer goals (131) than any other team in the league, including the last-place Edmonton Oilers (141). Injuries have riddled the team all season long, creating a lack of consistency and chemistry, while trades and late-season signings have failed to produce results.

As far as the schedule goes, the team will regroup after the Olympic break for a seven-game road trip, with another nine to be played on the road, while only returning to the Garden for twelve tilts. None of these hindrances have contributed to the Stanley-Cup-winning formula most prognosticators believed the team had at the beginning of the season.

Despite all of this, though, the Bruins are only two points out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a game in hand. Only five points separates the sixth- and thirteenth-place teams in the conference, while a three-way tiebreaker is used to separate eighth, ninth, and tenth place. As a result, the Bruins could still very well play more than 82 games this season.

However, the next month leading up to the NHL’s March 3rd trade deadline will be critical in determining how the team finishes the season. Here are three potential steps, ranked by urgency, the Bruins need to take to awaken themselves into the playoff contenders they have the potential to be.

Decide That the Season is Salvageable

Boston General Manager Peter Chiarelli has repeated that the remaining games before the Olympic break begins (February 15 for the Bruins) will determine whether he’s a buyer or seller at the trade deadline. That is an acceptable and appropriate attitude for the front office to have, but only in private. Saying it over and over again to the media will eventually make it to the locker room, which is the last place Chiarelli and head coach Claude Julien want it to be.

It’s clear that the Bruins have, for the most part, lacked the heart, determination, and character to win this year. Hearing that the brass is on the fence about the season isn’t going to instill confidence in an already apathetic locker room. The team needs to hear that they can win, should win, and will win.

Start Rask, Bench Thomas

Tim Thomas had a career-year last season, with a Vezina Trophy to prove it. No one can argue with that or the fact that the Bruins decision to reward him with a four-year contract worth $20 million at the end of the campaign was appropriate. However, Chiarelli needs to get his money back from Harvard University if he doesn’t know that the $5 million per annum spent on Thomas is a sunk cost, meaning that how much he’s paying Thomas shouldn’t influence how Chiarelli handles Thomas because the money has already been deducted from the season’s salary. As a result, Chiarelli should instruct Julien to start backup goalie Tuukka Rask in his place.

There are plenty of reasons to start Rask ahead of Thomas. For starters, the Bruins score more goals and allow fewer goals when Rask is in net. While Thomas’s 2.52 GAA is within the top twenty in the league, Rask’s 2.15 is third in the league. Their save percentages are just over one one-hundredth apart, but Rask is sixth in the league and Thomas is 17th. Rask also has a winning record (10-7-2) and Thomas doesn’t (13-15-7). Just throwing that little fact out there for you to chew on, Julien. Think about it for a bit.

Want more? Seven of those nine total losses for Rask came when he didn’t start consecutive games. The last time Rask started consecutive games was in mid-December when the Bruins completely shutdown Phil Kessel in a 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs following a 7-2 beating of the same Toronto team. Before that? A six-game stretch in November during which the Bruins went 4-1-1. Give the feisty Finn consecutive games in net and tallies will start to appear in the win column.

Trade for a Scorer

This is the most obvious, most talked about, and most necessary step the worst offense in the league needs to take if they want to participate in the playoffs, never mind the Stanley Cup Finals. In the games center Marc Savard has been healthy enough to participate in, he has had no one to pass off to on his right wing and cannot turn to his left wing, since Milan Lucic is not the scorer Phil Kessel was. The recent signing of Miroslav Satan has failed to remedy the situation, but the hockey gods were merciful by making him so cheap at only $700,000. As a result, the Bruins are still looking for someone who can bury the puck in the back of the net.

The most desirable player to trade for is Ilya Kovalchuk, the soon-to-be-unrestricted-free-agent of the Atlanta Thrashers who has posted two 50-goal seasons in seven years he’s spent in the NHL. A line of Lucic-Savard-Kovalchuk sounds near unstoppable, but is a combination unlikely to occur. The Thrashers know that Kovalchuk is the most sought-after player this year and will command a high price for him; they are reportedly seeking a top-six forward, top-four defenseman, and either a high draft pick or highly touted prospect. The Bruins could potentially package Michael Ryder, whom the Bruins are looking to sell according to TSN.ca, Dennis Wideman, and their first-round draft pick, but it’s unlikely the Thrashers will bite on a deal involving Ryder. Replacing Ryder in the deal with Blake Wheeler or David Krejci is simply too high of a price for the B’s to pay. The most recent rumors suggest that the Bruins are out of the Kovalchuk sweepstakes completely.

Beyond Kovalchuk, who is rumored to be seeking a ten-year, $11.2 million-per-year contract after this season, there is still plenty of talent to select from, especially from teams like the Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets, who are all-but-mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. From Carolina, why not Ray Whitney, the team’s leading scorer with 41 points in 53 games? Currently on pace for a 24-goal season, Whitney is also impressive on the power play, something with which the Bruins desperately need help. The sole wrinkle with a deal for Whitney is his no-trade clause, which he is reportedly only willing to waive if he is offered a three-year extension by his new club. There’s hope in Columbus, though, with two potential scorers to scavenge: Kristian Huselius, who has 10 points in his last eight games, putting him on pace for a 23-goal season, and R.J. Umberger, who has 18 goals on the season. Any one of these three players would be an excellent addition and potentially the adrenaline the Bruins need to jumpstart their offense, all at a much more affordable price than Kovalchuk.

As more teams begin to drop out of the playoff race, more options will become available to Chiarelli. Of note are the Anaheim Ducks, who are borderline playoff contenders in the Western Conference. Their trade with the Maple Leafs (mainly J.S. Giguere for Jason Blake and Vesa Toskala) suggests that they’re open to shake-ups and with the contracts of Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu ending after the season, they may become big sellers.

Concluding Thought

The Bruins have their work cut out for them on and off of the ice. If they want is as badly as the billboards say they do, they should have no problem returning to top form. Big changes will need to occur before the playoffs become a reality for the team, though, but at least they’re obvious changes.

© Erikk for Sports of Boston, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments
Filed under: Bruins, Featured, Top Story.

Boston acquired Recchi and a 2010 second-round pick for defensman Matt Lashoff and forward Martins Karsums. Recchi, a seven-time All-Star and two-time Stanley Cup Champion, has had a strong season so far, totaling 13 goals and 32 assists in 62 games for the Lightning.

GM Peter Chiarelli also traded forward Petteri Nokelainen to Anahiem for Montador. The 29-year-old comes to Boston with four goals and a career-high 16 assists in 65 games this season for the Ducks.

Trade Analysis

Looks like the Bruins improved their depth without having to give up any of the core guys like Phil Kessel or Patrice Bergeron. They even got to keep backup goaltender Manny Fernandez.

In Recchi, the Bruins picked up a veteran on a relatively young offensive attack. The 41-year-old should help players both on and off the ice with his experience.

In Montador, the Bruins picked up an aggressive defenseman to help raise the B’s defensive toughness. He has tallied 125 penalty minutes thus far, so you know he’s prepared to defend himself and teammates when needed.

Trade Deadline Grade: B+

The Bruins didn’t make a big splash by acquiring Chris Pronger or Keith Tkachuk, but they I think they did enough to improve the team a bit. On the other hand, they weren’t forced to trade any of their core talent while still improving the team, and for that, Chiarelli deserves credit.

© KC Downey for Sports of Boston, 2009. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Bruins, Featured, Top Story.

Noticeable trades:

• Atlanta traded forwards Marrian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis to Pittsburgh for prospect Angelo Esposito, forwards Colby Armstrong and Erik Christensen and a first-round pick.

Luc’s take: It’s always interesting to see a team who was barely mentioned as a suitor emerge as the sweepstakes winner. Pittsburgh paid a premium to acquire Marrian Hossa, but that’s not surprising if you look at the price Nashville paid, at the time, to acquire Peter Forsberg. If Pittsburgh is able to re-sign Hossa (he’s an unrestricted free agent [UFA] at the end of the season), they will emerge as the winner of this trade. If not, Atlanta might have the advantage. For now, Pittsburgh got a huge lift and with Crosby and Malkin, and the Pens will be the official “offensive powerhouse” of the Eastern Conference.

• Tampa Bay traded forward Brad Richards and goaltender Johan Holmqvist to Dallas for goaltender Mike Smith and forwards Jussi Jokinen and Jeff Halpern.

Luc’s take: Tampa Bay gave a very good young player but had to address their most pressing issue: goaltending. Dallas acquired an excellent player who should make sparks with an experienced player like Mike Modano. In this case, both teams have won the trade…

• Buffalo Sabres traded defenseman Brian Campbell to the San Jose Sharks in exchange of forward Steve Bernier and a 1st round pick.

Luc’s take: San Jose has been looking for that puck-moving defenseman since the beginning of the season. Campbell will help them in that regard but there’s no guarantee that Campbell will re-sign (he’s an UFA at the end of the season) with the team. Bernier is a promising young player who played limited minutes in San Jose but will contribute regularly in Buffalo.

Winners: Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Colorado

Losers: Montreal, Ottawa

For a complete recap of the NHL trade deadline, check out TSN’s trade deadline coverage.

© luc for Sports of Boston, 2008. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Bruins.

 - Dan Boyle was re-signed by Tampa Bay to a 6-year, $40 million contract which means that the price for D Brian Campbell (Buffalo Sabres), who failed to re-sign with his team, will increase a lot.

- No word on Marrian Hossa and Brad Richards. Ottawa and Montreal have been labeled as the emerging front runners but “it’s every men for itself” at the trade deadline and don’t be surprised to see Hossa traded elsewhere.

- There’s also a rumor this morning that says that former Bruin Marty Lapointe could be traded.  Lapointe will add gritz, experience and leadership for the team that will able to land him…

© luc for Sports of Boston, 2008. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Bruins.

Quick Notes: Colorado won the Forsberg sweepstakes and it will be interesting to see if, this time, Forsberg will have a real impact on his new team.

Marrian Hossa and Brad Richards are the two biggest names on the trade market. These two players will generate hefty returns for their respective teams. So far, the asking price for both of these players is a young player (already in the NHL), a promising prospect, and some draft picks.

Patrice Bergeron skated for 20 min, yesterday, and he seems on his way to recovery. That said, don’t expect him to play this year…

© luc for Sports of Boston, 2008. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Bruins.