Trade Deadline Reaction

Some B's fans are unhappy, but really, what did you expect Peter Chiarelli to do?

"Get a scorer!"
"Get a puck moving defenseman!"
"For the love of God, get rid of Michael Ryder!"*

*Let it be known that BHN is a huge Ryder fan, and will not, I repeat, NOT, advocate trading him.


At the end of the day (or more specifically, at the 3 p.m. EST deadline), Chiarelli hadn't done much: out were Derek Morris, Byron Bitz and some picks/prospects, in were Dennis Seidenberg and another prospect.

When I first heard of the Morris trade, it screamed "salary dump." Morris for just a fourth-round pick? He hadn't lit the world on fire here, but was solid enough. So I, along with most other Bruins fans, waited for the other shoe to drop.

Well it's now two days later, and that shoe still isn't here. Chiarelli ended up adding Seidenberg after the Morris move, but that was it. The B's closed up shop, and no offensive help arrived.

Here's what I think happened, and remember, this is purely my opinion: Chiarelli moved Morris to make room for another play, probably a scorer, but the right deal never materialized. Why else would he dump Morris? He clearly isn't giving up on this team yet, so it's not like the B's are in full-on salary dump mode.

As most other pundits have said, there really isn't exactly a wealth of scorers available. The biggest name, Ilya Kovalchuk, was moved weeks ago, and the remaining pickings really were pretty slim.

Ray Whitney? Raffi Torres? Clark MacArthur? Would any of these guys really have put the B's over the top, or been worth the picks/prospects that would have gone the other way?

No, probably not. The truth is that there really isn't much that can be done at this point to make the B's a bona-fide Stanley Cup contender. Even if they had added Kovalchuk, the team has been too inconsistent and frustrating to make fans believe a run at the Cup was possible for this year.

I still think this team has the horses to make serious noise in the playoffs, and hey, with a hot goalie, anything can happen come April/May.

But give Chiarelli credit for one thing: he has seen the writing on the wall in regards to this team, and didn't go for the knee-jerk reaction, which would have been an attempt at a quick fix. Chiarelli has a plan, and has been very patient so far. If he has another season next year like he has this year, both he and Claude Julien will likely be scouring Craigslist for job opportunities.

But with a top-three pick coming regardless of where the B's finish, the team is still in good shape, regardless of the lack of moves on Wednesday.

Overall, I'd give Chiarelli a grade of a "C." I'd rather have Morris here, but Seidenberg is a bit more defensive-minded, and seems solid enough. Chia's grade is really just average: he didn't improve the team, didn't hurt the team, didn't really do...anything.

Sources: Bruins Sign Morris

According to multiple sources, the Bruins have agreed to a deal in principle with free-agent defenseman Derek Morris.

Morris started last season with the Phoenix Coyotes, but was moved to the New York Rangers at the trade deadline. Morris had 5-15-20 totals in 75 games last season, and was a -10. He is a primarily a puck-moving d-man, and his less than stellar defensive numbers can be partially attributed to playing for Phoenix and the Rangers, two of the league's less-than-airtight defensive teams.

This could be the "other shoe" I referred to earlier, when GM Peter Chiarelli said moving Aaron Ward wasn't to sign Phil Kessel, but to add another defenseman. Morris appears to be that guy, though the team hasn't confirmed anything yet.

The Lawrence Eagle-Tribune has also reported the deal, while NESN and InsideHockey.com contributor James Murphy has mentioned a signing as well.

ESPN says it's a one-year deal, but I'm going to wait until I read the terms to comment fully on the signing. If it is a one-year deal, and it's for $2-2.5 million, then good move. If it's for $3 million+, then I'll be scratching my head. Stay tuned.

EDIT (11:52 PM): TSN is reporting the deal is a one-year deal worth $3.3 million...yeesh. That's a little high for my tastes. This essentially negates moving Aaron Ward to clear salary, meaning someone else is definitely going to have to go for Kessel to return to the B's this fall. Most likely to be moved? In my opinion (strictly opinion): Kobasew, Sturm, Ryder, Bergeron, Savard.

Again, stay tuned. More moves should be made in the next couple of weeks.