Now that the sting has worn off from this year's version of the Great Bruins Playoff Failure, it is time to assess the Bruins' off-season maneuvering.The obvious stuff first:
Drafted Tyler Seguin: considered the 1a (next to Taylor Hall) in this year's draft, Seguin is apparently an "Yzerman-like Centre". The Bruins are so confident in the 18-year old's abilities, they are already making moves based around acquiring him (see below).
Traded Dennis Wideman (and picks) for Nathan Horton and Gregory Campbell: I'm one of the few Bruins fans that liked Wideman, and thought the fans gave him a rough ride for performing a difficult job. Admittedly, sometimes more poorly than you'd like, but far more often solidly and reliably. Nathan Horton is a solid pick-up, and provides some needed relief on wing - he's a perennial 20 to 30 goal scorer.
Craig Ramsay takes Head Coaching job with the Thrashers: Ramsay is a very cool guy, he reminds me a little of William S. Burroughs, and preaches a solid defense. I believe the Bruins will miss Ramsay's ability to really connect with players and stick to the game plan. Chara has undoubtedly learned a great deal from Ramsay and I wish him all the best in Atlanta, because he got a raw deal in Philly and deserves the opportunity.
Bruins re-sign Boychuk and Recchi: Jonny Boychuk re-upped for 2 years and Recchi for 1, each bringing something good to the Bruins. Smart signings with minor cap hits.
Bruins trade Sobotka to St. Louis: This just happened before the free-agency opened. Sobotka was a restricted free-agent, and I suspect this is a cap pressured situation, because after years of waiting for him, Sobotka finally started coming into his own in last year's playoffs. Too bad he's now a Blue. In exchange the B's get a Boston College player named David Worsofsky, a puck-moving defenseman. And so, the circle of life completes itself - out goes Wideman, in come Worsofsky.
The Rumours:
There are rumours that the B's are dangling Marc Savard as trade bait, now that they've drafted Seguin. I don't know what the Bruins want in return, but I hope they realize players of Savard's ability are very hard to come by. He's got Adam-Oates-ian vision and skill, and he makes mediocre wingers better. Imagine him setting up Horton?
There are also rumblings that the Bruins are willing to trade Tim Thomas, and that Thomas has waived his no-trade clause. Again, I don't know what the Bruins think they need, but to trade away a Vezina-winning goalie after a half-season of being outplayed by a rookie seems a bit rash. The Bruins' road to hell is paved with one-year wonders. They must have believed in Thomas at some point - did they think he was the greater risk of being the one-year wonder than Rask?
I'm not really comfortable with trading away your top Centre and a freshly Vezina'd heroic goalie for mostly-unproven talent. They are shedding contracts but not really looking at the dead wood.
Which brings me to the...
Questions:
Why isn't Ryder's name coming up in trade talks?
Why isn't Sturm's name coming up in trade talks?
and:
What's happening with Blake Wheeler? Are they shedding the big kid, or are they going to continue to invest in his development?
While this isn't the most homoerotic photo of Tyler Seguin I've seen, it is in the top three:
It could be an interesting few days in the Bruins nation if trade or free-agency deals get done. I get the feeling a salary dump is coming on.
