bruins trade aaron ward, sign derek morris

Sometimes the wheeling and dealing behind the scenes of NHL clubs make little sense to outsiders such as you and me.

Yesterday the Bruins traded Aaron Ward back to Carolina (where he won a cup), for Patrick Eaves and a late-round draft pick. The Bruins then put Eaves on unconditional waivers, seemingly with no intention of having him join the club.

All of the above seemed to be an effort to clear some space under the salary cap, and left the blogosphere (read: normal humans who do not work for the Bruins) suspecting this salary dump was to enable GM Chiarelli to re-sign Phil Kessel.

Hang on to your hat: the blogosphere got something wrong.

The Bruins went out this morning (or, late last night if your sleep-patterns match my own) and signed free-agent defender Derek Morris.

Morris, as you may remember, was one of the names being thrown around at last year's trade deadline as a potential pick-up for a team looking to bolster their back line with an offensive-defenseman. He ended up signing with the Rangers, because apparently, at some point every NHL player has to.

Now Morris, the former first-round draft pick (Flames in '96), comes to the Bruins on a one-year deal.

The reality is that Morris has a truly great first pass out of the zone, he's solid on the powerplay, offering a right-handed shot and enough playmaking to play pivot from the blue line with the man advantage. So there are skills there, for sure.

On the other hand, without Aaron Ward, the Bruins are far more suspect defensively. Partnered with Zdeno Chara last season, Ward was responsible for making sure Chara looked Norris-worthy, covering up for defensive gaffs by the Bruins captain.

Ward blocked shots, dished out hits, and played with a nasty streak that inspired a similar attitude in other Bruins. He played injured for nearly two seasons, but unfortunately, that meant that with his salary ($2.5 million) and age, he became a player on the bubble as the Bruins moved forward under salary cap constraints.

Derek Morris is simply not a replacement for Ward's presence in the defensive zone, and frankly none of the remaining Bruins defenders are stay-at-home types who can pick up the slack. This absence will remain an issue for the Bruins as the season approaches, and getting a legitimate defensive-defenseman will become more pressing if the Bruins wish to build on last season's achievements.

...Arguably more pressing than re-signing Phil Kessel.

bruins sign steve begin, re-up bitz, recchi, boychuk

Two years ago the Bruins made major headlines during the Free Agency period by signing Zdeno Chara and Marc Savard.

At the time, the Bruins club had been eviscerated by a dismal managerial gamble going into the lock-out year (ie: allowing pretty much everyone to walk away on the ill-conceived belief that suitable replacements could be found cheaply and easily in a salary-capped NHL), and the team were left searching for an identity after missing the playoffs in successive seasons. Hence, the signing of two big, splashy players who could both contribute right away and establish the character for the club.

Since that time, the Bruins have largely tried to improve their fortunes by successfully stewarding their younger players, and bolstering them with veteran talent (largely playing specific roles).

The Bruins decided to allow Stephane Yelle to leave via free agency, and in his place comes former-Hab Steve Begin. I make no bones about my dislike of Begin, who once blindsided Savard with a cross check 20 metres away from the play that ended Savard's season, but he is the kind of player the team can use in a variety of situations. He adds grit, some PK ability (which I guess is why he differs from fan-fave Shawn Thornton), and had his best season under Coach Julien in Montreal. Frankly, he's the kind of player that most would rather have as a team-mate than an opponent. Hopefully he stays out of the box and doesn't hurt the team from the inside out.

In other news, the B's also re-upped Mark Recchi, who proved his value throughout the playoffs, chipping in timely goals and leading by example. I am a big fan of Recchi, who, while he has aged, has been rejuvenated by his recent tenures in youth-heavy Pittsburgh and Boston, and provides some guidance for the aforementioned younger players to follow. Welcome back, Mark.

Additionally, the Bruins re-upped Byron Bitz to a multi-year contract (which is very good news, especially in light of Steve Montador leaving via Free Agency), and also came to terms with prospect Johnny Boychuk. I don't know much about Boychuk, but he is one of those players that Bruins faithful have been hearing about for a few years - named the AHL's Defenseman of the Year last season - but remains in the minors. Is this his year to play with the Bigs?

Finally, it looks as though PJ Axelsson will explore the Free Agent market after all, but true to his classiness as a person and a player, will keep the Bruins in consideration as he searches for a potential fit for his services.