Say what you will, but don’t say that this game isn’t one of the biggest of the year for the Boston Bruins.
For one, the Bruins are currently holding on to the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with the New York Rangers only three points behind. Boston is coming off a seven-game road trip where the team went 3-3-1, keeping the status quo that has been present all season long. But it’s hard for one to forget the real reason why this game is receiving playoff-type hype and national attention. Think of it as a rematch of sorts.
That’s exactly what the sold out crowd of 17,565 in attendance at the TD Garden did Thursday night once Tim Thomas fistpumped after his final save on Toronto’s Jamie Lundmark in the shootout. The Bruins beat the Maple Leafs 3-2 in a shootout snapping their ten game winless streak at home, their first W at the Garden in 2010, and it was all because of Tim Thomas.
Let me repeat that. It was all because of Tim Thomas.
A top-nine forward, a puck-moving defenseman, a skater with speed who can finish; all qualities of players that the Boston Bruins were targeting on the day of the NHL trade deadline. The 3 PM cutoff came and went with only two major acquisitions: the departure of Derek Morris for a 2011 4th round draft pick and the arrival of Dennis Seidenberg for Byron Bitz and a 2010 2nd round draft pick originally belonging to Tampa Bay.
So, what exactly did the Bruins do on the trade deadline?
With the NHL trade deadline days away, rumors are spinning out of control after all trades remained frozen for the two-week olympic, leaving as little as 48 hours or so for teams to make any moves. And while no NHL club is in action, there is still plenty to discuss and many questions surrounding what [...]
The Boston Bruins winning streak remains at four as the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver pauses all NHL action. Yes, you read that right. The Bruins are on a four-game winning streak; second longest in the NHL below the basement-dwelling Carolina Hurricanes’ five-game streak, just as the Olympic break goes into effect. And while maybe just one or two of the victories seemed legitimate, the Bruins were still able to secure an important eight points in four games (10, in six games, if you count the previous two overtime losses) placing them right in playoff contention in the 7th spot in the Eastern Conference. The big question for when play resumes in Boston on March 2 is how will the Bruins be able to carry over that same success seen in the previous few weeks? I’m glad you asked because I have some ideas. As crazy as they may seem…
The new magic number for the Boston Bruins is one–one win needed to end the B’s current losing streak, or one loss to tie the streak set in the 1924-25 season for longest without a win. Ouch. Few could imagine a losing streak so treacherous that an 85-year old record could be topped back when the season first started but on Saturday, the Bruins came that much closer after falling to the Vancouver Canucks, 3-2 in a shootout.
Another come-from-behind win for Boston’s opponents replicating Thursday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens where the B’s lost their two-goal lead only to lose the game in a shootout. Even worse, the Bruins have been playing the past few games with a healthy offense. Still, the Bruins haven’t won a home game since the Winter Classic and haven’t netted more then two goals since January 16 (a ten-game span), a 4-3 shootout loss against the Los Angeles Kings. Somehow, something needs to be done.
So the Bruins lose a game or two, or seven. No big deal, right? Boston will pull the trigger on some deals at a deadline to bring a quality scorer that will better their chances of winning a Cup. Plus, with the Toronto Maple Leafs absolutely tanking at the moment, that first round pick is looking more and more like a number one overall with each passing game, a good thing since the swap involving said pick has been the most talked about trade since the 2005-06 season.
If anything, the Bruins’ Thursday night contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets taught us a new phrase to throw around when discussing the B’s season: human error.
Claude Julien used the phrase to describe the call that made me question whether the officials were Rhode Island youth hockey refs or indeed NHL-caliber. Referee Dean Morton must have lost track of whose stick belonged to who in front of Columbus’ goalie, Steve Mason, since he put Milan Lucic in the box with a double minor for high sticking–except Lucic’s stick was by his side for the duration of the scuffle. Oops. Pretty big blunder for a game that was well-fought and closely contested all the way until the call. And as the Senators, Islanders and Flyers all win big games on Thursday, the Bruins suddenly find themselves a point away from being out of postseason contention.
How many times have you uttered that one this season? Countless, I’m sure. There are a lot of aspects of the Bruins that could be fixed via a trade: more goals on offense, better leadership, consistent energy, you name it.
I wouldn’t want to be Peter Chiarelli 90% of the time but for now, that 10% is looking awfully tempting. Below, I’ve listed some trades that I might make if I had that General Manager title engraved onto my business card. Some trades are downright outrageous, while others might make some sense. I’ve listed the pros and cons of each trade as well as how the swap would affect each team’s payroll.
Keep in mind, these trades are in no way, shape or form any type of rumor—just pure speculation on my behalf. Some of these are half-baked ideas while others were given a bit of thought. In the current rumor mill, there are some players who the Bruins should stay far away from (Ray Whitney and Marek Svatos come to mind first and foremost) and therefore I won’t even attempt a trade offer here. I’m thinking of players who MIGHT be able to help the team. Keyword, MIGHT. And as far fetched as an Ilya Kovalchuk swap might be, I certainly gave it a shot. I mean, why not, right? I wouldn’t be a true armchair-GM if I didn’t.
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