Wailing and gnashing of teeth for Wides aside, this is a pretty good move for the B's. Horton's stats over the last two seasons are 42 goals and 60 assists for a total of 102 points, all for Florida Panther teams that didn't really sniff the postseason.
The 25-year-old Horton is a pretty big kid, coming in at 6 ft. 2 in. and weighing around 230 pounds. He had recently asked out of Florida, and new Panthers' GM Dale Tallon was apparently happy to oblige him.
Horton was the third pick on the 2003 draft, picked behind Marc-Andre Fleury and Eric Staal and ahead of players like Thomas Vanek, Dion Phaneuf and Ryan Getzlaf.
Hopefully, the big winger can learn a thing or two from a former big winger, current B's president Cam Neely. The 15th overall pick was sent to Florida as well, along with another pick in 2011. The B's now have the 2nd, 32nd and 45th picks in this Friday's draft.
In all likelihood, B's GM Peter Chiarelli isn't done dealing yet. Late June days are usually the hockey doldrums, but the next week could shape up to be a pretty interesting one.
Showing posts with label trades. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trades. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
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.
"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.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Ward traded to Carolina for Eaves and a pick; Eaves Immediately Waived
The Bruins today sent veteran defenseman Aaron Ward back to the Carolina Hurricanes, a team he helped to a Stanley Cup win in 2004, in exchange for forward Patrick Eaves and a fourth-round pick in 2010. Eaves was immediately placed on waivers by the Bruins, who intend to buy him out.
This move screams of a salary dump, as moving Ward frees the Bruins of his $2.5 million salary. Buying out Eaves, assuming he isn't claimed on waivers which doesn't seem likely, will cost the B's around $260,000 next year, and will GIVE the Bruins around $41,000 the year after (very confusing salary cap stuff, Fluto explains in the Bruins Blog).
It seems as though Chiarelli asked Ward about the move before making it, as he said he wouldn't have sent him anywhere other than Carolina, where Ward resides. In the "afore-linked" blog, Fluto says Chiarelli said he'd be looking to add a defenseman now, but didn't specify whether it would be through a trade or a signing.
Many things could be going on here, but it's clear that something else is brewing. Freeing up the cap space could be indicative of Chiarelli being prepared to sign Phil Kessel. However, saying he is going to add a defenseman could mean that he is preparing to deal Kessel to another club for a defenseman.
Either way, the other shoe has yet to drop here, so to speak. Ward is in Carolina, Eaves will soon be off the Bruins books, and there will be more moves to make. Expect one of two things to be announced in the coming days:
It's too bad to see Ward go, as he was a tremendous veteran presence, had some snarl to his game and was extremely entertaining in his weekly radio appearances on WBCN's Toucher & Rich show. However, he is getting old, and his cap-hit made him a likely target to be dealt. He was a solid, dependable blueliner for the B's, but was among the most sensible candidates to be dealt.
Stay tuned for more announcements, as another move or two can't be all that far away.
This move screams of a salary dump, as moving Ward frees the Bruins of his $2.5 million salary. Buying out Eaves, assuming he isn't claimed on waivers which doesn't seem likely, will cost the B's around $260,000 next year, and will GIVE the Bruins around $41,000 the year after (very confusing salary cap stuff, Fluto explains in the Bruins Blog).
It seems as though Chiarelli asked Ward about the move before making it, as he said he wouldn't have sent him anywhere other than Carolina, where Ward resides. In the "afore-linked" blog, Fluto says Chiarelli said he'd be looking to add a defenseman now, but didn't specify whether it would be through a trade or a signing.
Many things could be going on here, but it's clear that something else is brewing. Freeing up the cap space could be indicative of Chiarelli being prepared to sign Phil Kessel. However, saying he is going to add a defenseman could mean that he is preparing to deal Kessel to another club for a defenseman.
Either way, the other shoe has yet to drop here, so to speak. Ward is in Carolina, Eaves will soon be off the Bruins books, and there will be more moves to make. Expect one of two things to be announced in the coming days:
- 1. Someone else will be moved (Kobasew, Ryder, Bergeron, Savard) and Phil Kessel has been re-signed, either to a one-year deal at a bit less money (probably wouldn't require the above names to be moved) or to a long term deal at an averaged-out contract (would likely require a trade).
- 2. Kessel has been traded to a team willing to give the Bruins a young, impact defenseman in return.
It's too bad to see Ward go, as he was a tremendous veteran presence, had some snarl to his game and was extremely entertaining in his weekly radio appearances on WBCN's Toucher & Rich show. However, he is getting old, and his cap-hit made him a likely target to be dealt. He was a solid, dependable blueliner for the B's, but was among the most sensible candidates to be dealt.
Stay tuned for more announcements, as another move or two can't be all that far away.
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