Bruins Ink Morris To One Year Deal

The life of a General Manager. In just 24 short hours, Bruins mastermind Peter Chiarelli has arguably revamped the Boston blue-line for the better with the signing of Derek Morris.

When the Bruins traded away fan favorite Aaron Ward, the thought process among NHL fans was "Oh, this makes sense, they do need to keep Phil Kessel and they creates the cap space to do so.". However, the internet started to buzz once again when Chiarelli stated that the move was made because he "had his eye on another defensemen".

Certainly with a limited amount of cap space, the options seemed slim. Many thought the Bruins were going to gamble on the recovering Sergei Zubov, while others thought the B's were poised to steal Mathieu Schneider away from the Canadiens. It turned out 90% of people in the Hub of Hockey were wrong as the Bruins signed puck-moving defensemen Derek Morris to a one-year deal worth 3.3 million dollars.

Bye-bye Kessel. Or at least it's beginning to seem that way, isn't it? With Chiarelli confirming that he was "done for a while", the future of the man who wears 81 remains in limbo, a spot that Kessel has become accustomed to. Considering the B's currently have enough players signed to the roster to put a product on the ice for opening night and plenty of depth at the right wing (Ryder, Kobasew, Recchi, Bitz, Wheeler) it seems more likely that Kessel won't be lighting the lamp at the TD Bank Garden for the Bruins come October 1st.

In the mean time, the mystery around the signing of Derek Morris is beginning to grow. Is he the puck-mover that the Bruins have been desperately seeking? Or is he just a rental player for arguably the Bruins best chance for a Cup come 2009-10? I for one, believe that Morris is simply a rental for this upcoming season when considering the crop of players with expiring contracts.

Despite the addition of the offensive upside that Morris brings to the table, is the price tag reasonable? Then I remember, this is the first month of free agency, nothing's reasonable. Again, I for one don't believe that Derek Morris is a player worth 3.3 million dollars considering the woeful season he had in the desert in Phoenix. Although his struggles were mighty with the 'Yotes, the 30-year-old seemed to regain his offensive spark when he was dealt to the New York Rangers.

When the season concluded, Morris finished with just 20 points and a -10 between Arizona and the Blueshirts. Undoubtedly, Morris' bright spot came with the Rangers, as he put up 8 points in 18 games.

This tenure with the Rangers was Morris' first trip playing for an Eastern Conference team and with the Edmonton-native slated to play along side Norris Trophy winner Zdeno Chara, it's entirely possible that Bruins fans and the rest of the Eastern Conference can see the revitalization of a player once thought to be dead in the desert.

Bruins Trade Ward To Carolina

An unexpected trade today became official this morning as the Bruins have sent veteran defensemen Aaron Ward to Carolina in exchange for a 2010 fourth round draft choice and forward Patrick Eaves. After the trade, newly acquired Patrick Eaves was placed on waivers and was going to be bought out if no one claimed him.

This was a cap dump by definition, however, the disagreement in the Hub of Hockey is beginning to grow.

First off, Aaron Ward was a fan favorite. Made popular for his rugged style of play and "Ward Wednesday" on the Toucher & Rich show on WBCN, where he would frequently bash a player from the opposition without care. Despite being overpaid in many people's eyes as Ward's numbers never quite justified the 2.5 million dollar a year salary, he earned the status of Boston's veteran defensive presence for young guys such as Mark Stuart and Matt Hunwick.

The biggest killer in this deal for most B's fans has been the fact that if Eaves doesn't get claimed, that he will be bought out. Boston is currently paying both Glen Murray and Peter Schaefer through buy-outs that are counting against the cap and now they're going to add another to the list? Between Schaefer and Murray the B's have 1.9 million dollars in buy-outs currently against the cap and with Eaves expected to join the list, the amount of buy-outs on the cap jumps up to over two million dollars.

This move was ultimately made to create the cap space needed to re-sign 36-goal scorer Phil Kessel. However, despite the eventual addition of Phil Kessel, the Bruins have created themselves a lack of NHL ready players on the blue-line.

Along with mainstays Zdeno Chara, Dennis Wideman, Andrew Ference and Mark Stuart the Bruins are expected to have young players Matt Hunwick and Johnny Boychuk join the NHL roster as their defensive core. With these six ready for the NHL season, the problem would develop if and when an injury strikes the B's defense. With no defensemen in Providence truly ready for the big leagues, there's a need for a seventh defensemen in Boston.

With Shane Hnidy signed in Minnesota, the obvious choice is gone. Kessel, who's expected to sign for four to five million dollars a season, Peter Chiarelli will simply not have a lot of money to add anyone for more than league minimum. Although Drew Fata was recently signed to a two-way contract, he's an undersized goon who really doesn't bring much to the table at the NHL level.

In a large pool of veteran defensemen looking for new homes, the Bruins may just get lucky. One name that sticks out to me for one, is former Bruin Kyle McLaren. The 32-year old defensemen has certainly experienced quite the fall from grace. After being sent to the AHL with his 2.2 million dollar cap hit, the 6'4 menacing blue-liner put up seven points in 22 games for the Worcester Sharks. When a trade that would have sent McLaren to Philadelphia was nullified after McLaren failed a physical, the doubts are growing that he will never return to the NHL level.

Along with McLaren, 47 year old Chris Chelios is still out there as a free agent. Despite struggling in the 2009 Playoffs for the Red Wings, the veteran could possibly be a nice addition as a seventh defensemen held to limited playing time. He has Stanley Cup experience and could even be a better mentor to the Bruins young guns than Ward was. I fully believe that if both were given to chance to play in the NHL then they'd accept league minimum contracts.

For some, the attempt to get back into the NHL will be difficult following major surgeries. Two names that stick out are Sergei Zubov and Rhett Warrener. Zubov is coming off major hip surgery and looking for a new home. The 39 year old defensemen has been a great powerplay weapon his entire career and had 4 points in 10 games for the Dallas Stars in 2008. Warrener, a former Calgary Flame mainstay is coming off major shoulder surgery and appears to be done in Calgary.

In 2007-08, Warrener's last season played in, he had 4 points in 31 games. With his shoulder possibly unable to hold up, a role as a seventh defensemen for league minimum could be a plus for both Warrener and the Boston Bruins.

One thing's for sure, this cap space freed up by the trading of the three-time Stanley Cup winner has made enough room to sign Kessel to a long term contract. As is the case with many NHL teams and the way they approach their restricted free agents, the Bruins are anxious to get a deal done with the potential 40 goal scorer of the future, which is now fully possible.

Numbered Days For Kessel?

The stove in Boston is heating up for sure. Following the signing of 3 year contract worth a total of over 11 million signed by David Krejci last week, the eyes of the Garden faithful have turned to the rumor mills with one person on their mind: Phil Kessel. Phil Kessel, who turns 22 in October is coming off a career year in which he set career highs in every offensive category. His 36 goals put him at 8th in the NHL behind the likes of Kovalchuk, Ovechkin and Detroit's Marian Hossa. The oft talked about potential about the man in '81' had finally arrived and shown up, on the score sheet and in the win column.

Despite his at times inconsistent play, including two 5-game goal-less droughts and a seemingly everlasting 15 game span without scoring a single goal, Kessel would regain his stride and find the scoring touch that made him such a pivotal role-player in the Bruins offense. His offensive abilities were enough to 'wow' Bruins fans worldwide, but when the news that broke following the elimination of the Boston Bruins from the 2009 Playoffs, Bruins fans found a new found respect and admiration for Phil 'The Thrill'. It was revealed during the Boston Bruins exit interviews that during the team's 2-0 regular season loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets suffered a torn-rotator cuff on a questionable hit from Jackets defensmen Jan Hejda.

In true Boston Bruins fashion, Phil Kessel continued to play through the injury and into the playoffs, missing just one regular season game in Buffalo. Seemingly unbothered by the shoulder, Kessel went on to score 13 goals and tally 8 assists in the 19 regular-season and playoff games following the injury in Columbus. When news of this injury broke, it truly showed us the real Phil Kessel that Bruins fans had been longing to see; he cared, he wanted to win and wasn't going to let a major injury stop him from contributing in the team's push for their first Stanley Cup in 37 years.

Although Kessel's goals led to a staggering total of 42 leaps from our chairs at the Garden, bar or in the comfort of our home the Bruins now have the daunting task of deciding his future with the club. With the success comes to want for a hefty raise, unfortunately for Kessel and the Bruins, GM Peter Chiarelli is working from an unfavorable salary-cap position. Fact is, it's going to be next to impossible to re-up the 21 year old winger unless he's willing to take less or similar money to the contract that was just signed by teammate David Krejci.

In a perfect world, Phil Kessel understands the rough economic market in the NHL and signs for the same 3.5-3.75 million dollar-a-year contract that Krejci agreed to. However if Kessel has any sense of his value, he may hold out for an offer-sheet, prompting the Bruins to make a move and find a new home for Kessel. One option and rumor that has been spreading over the internet like wildfire has been the idea of sending Phil Kessel to Colorado for the 3rd overall pick in the 2009 draft.

A favorite to go at the number 3 slot in the draft has been Matt Duchene, a 5'11 center currently playing for the Brampton Battalion of the Ontario Hockey League. He's currently slated to go behind Jonathan Tavares at number one to the Islanders and Swedish defensemen Victor Hedman expected to go at number 2. Duchene has been praised for his effectiveness as a two-way player in an offensive system and has displayed the numbers to prove his worth as in he's scored 129 points in 121 games with the Battalion. Duchene would be a solid fit in the Bruins system and would give the Bruins even more strength at center for the future along with Boston's 2008 first round draft choice, hulking center Joe Colborne.

As intriguing as this option may be, it's considered a longshot as Colorado may be adamant about keeping their 3rd overall pick to draft their replacement for the near-ancient Joe Sakic. After Colorado, the next hottest rumor circulating the internet has been a rumored deal between the Anaheim Ducks and Boston Bruins in which the Bruins send Kessel to Anaheim in exchange for the Ducks first round draft pick and negotiating rights with free-agent-to-be defensemen Francois Beauchemin. Although Beauchemin has the potential to be a game-changing defensemen that the Bruins need to plug in alongside Dennis Wideman, health has been an issue for the 29 year-old native of Quebec. Beauchemin suffered a torn ACL in November and missed the next 62 games of the regular season before returning back for the Ducks Playoff run.

With health already being an issue for an overwhelming amount of Bruins players, the risk that Beauchemin brings with him is not to enough to trade away a guy who scored 36 goals for your team. Especially when you note the existing health concerns on the Bruins defense with Aaron Ward and Andrew Ference, who had both experienced issues with staying healthy during the 2008-09 season.

When you look at the names that surrounded Phil Kessel in the league leaders with stats, the average salary of those players who scored 36 goals or more goes through the roof. The average 36+ goal scorer in the NHL during the 2008-09 season makes 4.9 million dollars a season. A number which the Bruins simply cannot match if they are to keep the same core of the 2008-09 team intact with Phil Kessel on it. Not to mention that a just 100,000 away from the 5 million dollar a year mark is a lot of money for a player who has shown his frequent inability to play defense, making him a very expensive one way player. With the NHL draft rapidly approaching following the conclusion of the Stanley Cup, the future of Phil Kessel and possibly the Boston Bruins will be addressed head on.

Cowardly 'Cane Dodges Suspension

Come on up, take a spin on the Colin Campbell Wheel of Penalties. As if the inconsistencies of the NHL's first round didn't drive you crazy enough, there's more. Sure, Campbell served out some rightful justice by suspending Donald Brashear for his Game 6 actions against the New York Rangers, but that doesn't right all the wrongs he's made thus far in the NHL Playoffs. Perhaps his biggest mistake was made today, as we were informed that Hurricanes forward Scott Walker will in fact, not be suspended for Game 6 against Boston.

Last night during the Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 5 in Boston, with just over 2 minutes left in the game Scott Walker gave Aaron Ward a clear as day sucker punch. Ward, obviously wasn't willing to engage in a fight and in my opinion wasn't expecting the punch. As Ward dropped to the ice due to the punch, mayhem ensued as Milan Lucic gave it his all to get his hands on Walker. Walker was assessed a 5 minute major (As was Ward somehow, how you get a 5 minute major for fighting when you don't throw a punch is beyond me, but hey, who am I, right?), 2 minute minor for instigating and 10 minute misconduct. As NHL rules state, a player who gets the instigator penalty within 5 minutes of the game's end is subject to a one game suspension from the following game. However, the NHL rulebook means nothing to NHL V.P Colin Campbell.

Campbell decided to rescind the suspension issued to Walker, and instead hit him with a 2,500 dollar fine. Essentially, that's nothing to a guy who makes 2.5 million dollars a season. I'm sure that 1% loss of his salary will really teach him a lesson, good job Campbell. Perhaps the part that gets me most angry as a hockey fan is the fact that Ward's status for Game 6 is unknown as it's possible he suffered a broken orbital bone on the punch, meanwhile that coward known as Scott Walker gets to play. Perhaps even more sickening than the actual punch itself, is the quotes coming out of the Carolina camp today.

“Scott probably has sore knuckles,” 'Canes coach Paul Maurice said following the 4-0 loss last night. Funny, considering if the roles were reversed and Shawn Thornton were to strike Joe Corvo, Dennis Seidenberg or Joni Pitkanen in the face you know Maurice wouldn't be cracking jokes. However, the yapping from Carolina doesn't just end with Maurice; "After our team received several punches throughout the series leading up to Game 5, it was a matter of time before one was going to be thrown back." said Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford. I'd honestly love to know what 'punches' he's referring to as the Bruins haven't gotten into any fights before Game 5 and there's been little to no face-washing in this entire series.

There's no doubt that the Hub of Hockey is surely frustrated with Campbell's ruling considering his recent disciplinarian actions against Milan Lucic in the first round of the playoffs. If you recall, Lucic was suspended for a "forceful blow to the head" of Canadiens center and pest Maxim Lapierre. One must ask, how was Walker's punch to the face not deemed forceful?

However, don't expect the man in red wearing the number 24 to get off easy tomorrow night. He's angered the entire Bruins roster and will surely have a target on his back. On top of Walker's actions, another player likely to be targeted for trashings and hard hits by the Black and Gold is Jussi Jokinen, who's slash to the back of Zdeno Chara's leg gave a scare to the entire Bruins roster, coaches and fans. As the Bruins are to commit their clean, but swift action of vigilante justice one thing's for sure, this series has officially gotten nasty, and it couldn't have happened at a better time.

To Believe, Or Not To Believe

Well, it's official. The Boston Bruins back's are up against the proverbial wall. There's no tomorrow for the Bruins if they don't win tonight's Game 5 showdown at the TD Banknorth Garden; As with just one more loss against the Carolina Hurricanes the Bruins will be knocked out of the series 4 games to 1. However, all faith should not be lost as this task albeit daunting, is not impossible. In fact, it's already been done once so far in this year's playoffs. For all you doubters, here are your reasons to "Believe in the B" for Game 5 and the rest of the series.

Firstly, the powerplay cold streak has been snapped. The Bruins went into Friday night's Game 4 going 0 for their last 16 powerplay attempts, but broke that with a Marc Savard powerplay goal. With Boston's playoff lives on the line expect to see Mark Recchi and Milan Lucic trying to direct the tip-in's in front of the red hot Ward. The Bruins also possess veteran know how. Aaron Ward has been apart of 3 Stanley Cup winning teams. Mark Recchi and Stephane Yelle are right behind Ward with 2 Stanley Cup rings of their own. Their presence and leadership are welcomed greatly in what could be a nerve-filled locker room. However, there's also 10 players in the Carolina locker room with Stanley Cup experience.

Also, somewhat expected turn of events has occurred: Tim Thomas and the rest of the Bruins are beginning to have a hatred for the 'Canes. It's been said by the Vezina trophy finalist that he's developed a hatred for the Raleigh based franchise and when the Bruins get angry, they pick up their intensity. (See: Dallas Stars game in November, April 9th vs. Montreal and January 13th vs. Montreal.). The Bruins are also at home, there was no team better at home in the Eastern Conference than the Boston Bruins during the 2008-09 season. With 17,565 screaming fans behind them, the Bruins will surely have some added fire and fury in their step. If all goes accordingly, the Bruins could be back in Boston for a Game 7.

One of the biggest factors going into tonight is the fact that they've been here before. Just last year, the Bruins found themselves in a 3-1 hole against the first seeded Montreal Canadiens. They fought back to bring the series to a decisive Game 7, despite losing it showed the heart in the Boston Bruins. The heart of the 2008-09 Boston Bruins has yet to be seen, and with a much more talented roster this season it'll be interesting to see how they come out tonight.

Perhaps the largest mind-block that the Bruins need to get over in order to win is that contrary to popular belief, Cam Ward can be beat. The Carolina net-minder has been virtually unbeatable over the past 3 games, or at least it's appeared that way. However, the Bruins have put minimal pressure on the 25 year old Saskatoon native. Outside of the 16 shot 3rd period of Game 2, Ward hasn't faced more than 10 shots in a period. It's time for Kessel, Recchi, Ryder, Krejci, and Chara to fire away and make Ward uncomfortable in between the iron.

Wheeler In, Ference Out: Game 4 Preview

With the Bruins 4 hours away from dropping the puck in essentially must win game Game 4 against the Carolina Hurricanes, it's confirmed that Blake Wheeler will in fact play. Despite the good news, the Bruins were hit with bad and somewhat expected news as Andrew Ference will not suit up and play tonight. It appears that Ference re-aggravated the lower body injury that he sustained in an April 4th matinee against the New York Rangers.

Ference, a mainstay on the Bruins 2nd defensive pairing and alternate captain missed all of the 1st round against Montreal before returning in Game 1 against Carolina. Ference was a +1 in the first 3 games of the series, and was averaging over 15 minutes on ice per game. Although the lost of Ference is surely what the Bruins don't need at this point in the series, there's no need to count them out for Game 4, and the rest of the series for that matter as the "Sheriff" Shane Hnidy will step in for Ference.

Hnidy has played in just 3 of the Bruins playoff games so far, scoring 1 goal and providing more physicality into the Bruins defense. The Bruins have won all 3 games in which Hnidy has dressed, and Hnidy himself has a +2 in the playoffs. He comes into tonight's game averaging a little under 15 minutes per game, making Ference's subtraction from the line-up and Hnidy's addition a fair trade off.

One of the biggest tasks on hand for the Boston Bruins to succeed will be playing defense as a cohesive unit. In Game 3, the Bruins defense struggled greatly to contain Eric Staal and the rest of the 'Canes high powered offense. As the Bruins defense focuses on containing Staal, they must keep an eye on the 'Canes secondary scoring. Jussi Jokinen is quietly having a Conn Smyth-worthy post-season, Carolina's top defensive pairing of Joni Pitkanen and Joe Corvo have been tallying up the points and Ray Whitney and Chad Larose have proved to be great line-mates for Eric Staal. Considering Mark Stuart's strong play throughout the entire playoffs, expect to see the Stuart and Hnidy pairing log some serious minutes in their effort to stop Carolina early and often.

For tonight's game, the biggest key will be putting the pressure on Cam Ward early. As demonstrated in Game 1, the Bruins rattled Wardo early and went on to win 4-1. Since then, the 25 year old Saskatoon native has been automatic. He's 2-0 with a .966 SV% in game's 1 and 2 and is looking to follow up with yet another strong performance in front of the hometown crowd. Although Ward's stats thus far have been impressive, he has yet to face the full pressure of the Boston offense. Boston's 0-9 on the powerplay in this series, and as stated before have been out shot in 7 out of the 10 periods of play in the series; truly an unusual position for the NHL's 2nd best scoring team behind the Detroit Red Wings. With tonight's game being a phenomenal chance for the Bruins to tie this series up before heading back to Boston and the 17,000+ yellow towels waving for them expect this to be the biggest test for the Bruins heart.

Word On Ward

“He’s not going to make the trip to Florida, so (he’s) definitely out for this week” Coach Claude Julien said on Monday morning, speaking on Aaron Ward's injury suffered in Saturday's 4-1 rout of Detroit. This is the 2nd significant injury the Bruins have suffered on defense already and yet again they're going to have to rely on a Providence call-up to fill the role of a veteran. With Ward not making the trip to Florida the Bruins will need to make a call but it is still unknown if the Bruins will go with Matt Lashoff again or give new comer Johnny Boychuk a chance with the big club.

Boychuk, a 6'2 defensemen from Edmonton, Alberta is currently leading AHL defensemen in points, scoring 4 goals and adding 19 assists. He's also 3 points away from matching his point total from all of last season (26) in a little more than 1/3 of the time. Although it'd appear he's the clear candidate for the call-up one can't rule out Matt Lashoff, who only trails Boychuk by 7 points and has played in 4 less games. One thing hurting Boychuk's chances is his lack of NHL experience, playing in only 4 games while Lashoff's played in 30 career NHL games, all with Bruins posting a -7 and scoring 1 goal and 6 assists.

In my opinion I believe the call-up should go to Johnny for this road trip. This would be his first legitimate test with the Bruins as opposed to giving the opportunity to Lashoff again who's struggled when actually given the call. Especially with the team playing at the rate they are along with the rather soft road trip it wouldn't be a terrible time to try and mix it up.

Johnny Boychuk is currently the leading scorer in the AHL for defensemen.