Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Bruins trade for experience (Recchi), depth (Montador)

Looks like Pete Chiarelli's going to settle on 2 moves today:

To Anaheim:
F Petteri Nokelainen
To Boston:
D Steve Montador

To Tampa:
D Matt Lashoff
F Martins Karsums
To Boston:
F Mark Recchi
2010 2nd round pick

It would appear that these deals went hand-in-hand. By acquiring Montador, Chiarelli gained enough depth on the blueline to safely unload Lashoff. Ultimately, this means that the Bruins traded 3 futures for 2 roster players and a decent draft pick.

It's not the blockbuster Kessel-for-Pronger deal that the media would've loved, but this certainly improves the Bruins' prospects in both the present and future.

For the present - The Bruins just got a little more experienced, a little deeper and a little more stable. Recchi is a much-needed left handed winger, but more importantly a steadying hand in the locker room and a resource for young LWs Lucic and Wheeler. Montador adds depth to the defensive corps, and in the event that a defenseman is injured he will make Claude Julien's decisions a little easier. Neither move will have a dramatic effect on the roster, but both make the Bruins slightly more playoff-ready.

For the future - Lashoff is a solid prospect for Tampa but he didn't appear to have much of a future in Boston after making little out of his chances with the Bruins. Karsums was simply a casualty of the depth chart. The only significant loss is Nokelainen, who has been on IR for a month and looked to have been leapfrogged by prospects like Bitz and Sobotka. And in the process, the Bruins acquired a 2nd round pick -- recent players the Bruins have drafted in the 2nd or later include Lucic, Sobotka, Hunwick, and rookie sensation Kris Versteeg.

Considering the Bruins' cap constraints and the conservative nature of this trading season, I have to give Chiarelli props for improving the Bruins' Cup chances without making any painful sacrifices.

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3 comments:

The Bastahd said...

I am definitely a fan overall... gained two solid UFAs and a high pick for three non-roster players who weren't likely to see much time in Boston in the near future.

One slight correction... Hunwick was a 7th round pick, somewhere around 224. As for Bruins second round picks, Bergeron and Krejci can be added to that list.

The Bastahd said...

Also... Versteeg was actually a 5th rounder back in '04 (same year as Hunwick).

Notable 2nd rounders:

2003 - Bergeron
2004 - Krekci, Karsums
2005 - Kalus (flipped for Manny)
2006 - Lucic

Definitely some solid acquisitions in the second round from the recent B's regime.

Tom said...

Yeah, I just threw out a few who were drafted in the 2nd or later. I had forgotten that Bergeron and Krecji were 2nds... based on recent history we should get not just a roster player but a long-term contributor out of that pick. Very solid deals indeed.