BRUINS DUMP MORISS, GRAB SEIDENBERG*

The Bruins traded defenseman Derek Morris to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for a 4th round pick. And while that sounds like an awful trade (as much as I've criticized Morris, he's a better defenseman than you'll get in the 4th round of any draft), the move cleared up the remainder of the $3.3 million Morris was getting. Morris was to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and the Bruins were carrying 7 defensemen anyway.

Then the Bruins turned around and shipped Byron Bitz, Craig Weller, and a 2nd round pick to Florida in exchange for Dennis Seidenberg and a college defenseman.



Seidenberg has 16 career goals in 357 games. He's a solid blue-line presence, and is a much better defensive defenseman than Morris was. Morris has struggled all year to be consistent on offense, and to be a factor on defense.

And believe it or not, this does help the Bruins' offensive woes. A good defensive tandem that can stop opponents' possessions quickly leads to easy and fast breakaways.

So the Bruins are slightly better today. Which is like saying that Kevin Smith minus 5 pounds is slightly less fat. It's true, but he still can't jam into an airplane seat.

So far, the Bruins have given up a 2nd round pick, a prospect, a solid player with potential to be a bruiser in Byron Bitz, and Derek Morris. They've gotten a prospect back, a 4th round pick, and Dennis Seidenberg.

Meh.

But there is still a little more than $1 million in cap space still open.

Oh, and the Bruins are now the most German team in the NHL.



Source:
CBC

BRUINS BACK IN THE HABIT

I could reboot the old Bruin excuse machine that I've used so many times this season. I could blame the Olympic break. I could say that Chara was worn out, as Slovakia played the maximum number of games and the Slovaks put him on the ice more than the Bruins do. And the non-Olympians were all rusty. But wouldn't the Canadiens be just as rusty?

The Bruins were somehow up 1-0 after a period dominated by Montreal, but saved by Rask. Sturm scored the B's goal, and it was kind of a joke. On a power play, the puck just sort of pooped out from behind Carey Price, sat there for what seemed like an eternity before Sturm tapped it in.

But the bad habits continued. There was a hope that Rask could continue to make brilliant saves, and for the most part, he did just that. It was 1-0 going into the 3rd. And the Bruins had actually generated some decent scoring chances in the 2nd. Although they got a bit too fancy, "a little cute" as Savard described it postgame.

I'm not going to attack Tuukka Rask. It's not his fault that the Bruins' defense melted like Frosty in the Sahara.



But the Tuukka Time Twits (and if you don't know any, you haven't sat in Section 314) out there attacked Thomas for goals that resulted from defensive ineptitude, so fair is fair.

But the Bruins shouldn't be dependent on 22 year old goalies to win games for them. The Bruins were outplayed at pretty much every level of gameplay. For fuck's sake, they were outmuscled on the boards by the Montreal Canadiens!

And I don't want the Bruins to make any deals, at least no significant ones. This team has more holes than a pornstar convention. They really need an entire line of forwards to supplant Wheeler, Krejci, and Ryder, who are all bumbling fools.

And Andrew Ference is a load. -3 last night, a well deserved -3.

I don't want to mortgage the future just to get one guy who will improve this team from the 8th best in the East to the 6th best.

Bruins vs. Maple Leafs Thursday night.



Source:
ESPN

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Elise Amendola