Assessing the Legacy of Tim Thomas in Black and Gold

On Thursday afternoon, the Boston Bruins parted ways with a player that made fans hold their breath, experience heart palpitations, cry tears of joy and eventually scratch their heads in disbelief during his eight years wearing the black and gold.

Tim Thomas is headed to New York to become a member of the Islanders.  The B's will get a conditional second-round pick in return; that is, the pick will only be given to Boston if Thomas either plays a game for the Islanders or is traded by the club.

But let's forget the details of the trade and instead consider the player that has moved on.  Tim Thomas is a Michigan boy who played his college hockey right here in New England at the University of Vermont.  Thomas always believed that he was NHL material, but his chances continued to slip away as the years trickled on.  It wasn't until the goaltender was 28 years old that he finally made his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins.

October 19, 2002.  Thomas stopped 31 of 34 shots fired by the Edmonton Oilers in his first career victory.  Eleven days later, he stopped 33 of 35 pucks against the Washington Capitals for his second win in as many chances.  But that would be his last action until April, when he went 1-1 in two more starts to round out his campaign.

Thomas didn't see the ice again at the NHL level until the 2005-2006 season.  It was January 10, 2006 — nearly three years since his last appearance with the Bruins.  And as luck would have it, he gave up one goal on seven shots in a relief appearance against the Sharks.  That goal was the game-winner, and Thomas was handed the loss.

At this point in the goaltender's career, all hope may have been lost.  Thomas was 31 years old the day of that game in 2006, and he was set to turn 32 in April.  He'd never sustained any work in the NHL, having appeared in just five games.  He had been battling, and would continue to battle, for starting nods against the likes of Andrew Raycroft, Hannu Toivenen, Manny Fernandez and eventually Tuukka Rask.  After all, why would the Bruins commit to a 30-something year-old goalie with so much promising young talent in the mix?

Peter Chiarelli — who was hired as the Bruins' general manager in May of 2006 — had figured it out.  He realized that Raycroft, Toivenen and Fernandez weren't keepers.  He shipped Andrew Raycroft to Toronto for Tuukka Rask before the 2006 entry draft (how about that trade, eh?).  The following season, Thomas played in a career-high 66 games for the Bruins in what marked the moment that Boston put their faith in the journeyman.

In that same off-season, the Bruins — technically being managed by interim GM Jeff Gorton at the time — reeled in what became one of the franchise's biggest free agent signings in history.  The club inked Zdeno Chara, previously of the Ottawa Senators (the same team that Chiarelli had been working for) to a five-year, $37.5 million deal.  Chara, as you know, has worked out.

Back to Thomas.  The goaltender played well in his first two seasons as the number one, but it wasn't until his third season that he really began to write his legacy.  In the 2008-09 season, Thomas was downright spectacular in a Vezina trophy-winning campaign.  He posted a 36-11-7 record, a 2.10 goals against average and a .933 saves percentage.  The Bruins fell short in the playoffs, though, in a Game 7 to the Carolina Hurricanes.

The following season, we got another one of those messages that it just might not be in the cards for Thomas to reach sustained stardom.  After starting the season as the club's top goaltender, young sensation Tuukka Rask — the goaltender acquired in the trade that originally opened the door for Thomas in 2006 — seized the starting job from him.  Rask had only appeared in five NHL games prior to the start of that season, but his numbers justified the switch.  Tuukka posted a 22-12-5 record with a gaudy .931 saves percentage and a microscopic 1.97 goals against average.  The latter two statistics led the NHL.  His collapse, though, came in an infamous series against the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.  Boston had a 3-0 series lead, and... well, need we revisit history?  I think not.

Nonetheless, Rask was the starter.  The key piece of the trade that opened the door for Thomas in Boston had come back a few years later to seemingly close it.  Tuukka was the franchise goalie, and that was that.  Thomas would be a backup for what was left of his wacky, roller-coaster career.  That's what any sane person would have thought, anyway.

At the start of the next season, Rask was the definite starter, fresh off a stellar campaign riddled by a haunting Game 7 loss.  Thomas was the backup.  The exact opposite circumstances from the previous season's beginning.  And, quite eerily, the season progressed in a similar way as well.

Thomas stole the starting job from Rask — at no great fault of the young goaltender — when he stood on his head game after game en route to establishing the Bruins as a powerhouse.  Chiarelli had finally built a winning formula with a few years in the business, and the wild style of Thomas seemed to perfectly complement his squad.  In one of the best regular seasons a goaltender has ever had — ignoring the historic playoff run that awaited — Thomas posted a 35-11-9 record with a .938 saves percentage and a 2.00 goals against average.  He had nine shutouts.

I won't get cliché and start poetically depicting the Stanley Cup run that ensued, but you all know the story's ending.  Thomas won the Conn Smythe trophy with ease in the 2011 playoffs, posting an absurdly impressive .940 saves percentage and 1.97 goals against average.  He went 16-9 in those 25 games, posting four shutouts and winning three Game 7's.

The following season was a struggle filled with controversies, quirks and disappointments, and it was the final season Thomas would ever play for the Bruins.  That isn't what I wish to focus on, though.  This goaltender deserves better than that.  This goaltender deserves to have his best moments discussed, not his worst.

Tiny Thompson.  Frank Brimsek.  Frank Brimsek.  Gerry Cheevers.  Gerry Cheevers.  Tim Thomas.

Those were the goaltenders for the Bruins in their six Stanley Cup championship seasons.  Brimsek and Cheevers each won it twice.  Thompson and Thomas won it once.  And whether old-timers want to admit it or not, our weird, anti-Obama, crazy-flopping goaltender of the new age belongs right in the mix with those other guys as one of the best Bruins goalies of all-time.

Of all six winning teams, Thomas's team snapped the longest drought in the franchise's history.  It had been 39 years since the Bruins had won a Stanley Cup, and Timmy put the team on his back for an entire season.  He may not have won as many Cups as Brimsek or Cheevers, but one could argue it may have been the best performance in the most significant win of the six.

When it comes to individual accolades, Thomas reeled in two Vezina trophies.  Tiny Thompson collected four during his tenure with the Bruins, Brimsek gathered two, and Cheevers didn't win one.  For his career, Thomas showcases a goals against average of 2.48.  While that is a far cry from Tiny Thompson's 2.08 career GAA, it remains better than the 2.70 and the 2.89 averages held by Brimsek and Cheevers, respectively.  Thomas has a career saves percentage of .921, but saves percentage wasn't consistently calculated during the careers of the other three goalies.

I cannot sit here and argue that Tim Thomas is the best goalie of all-time.  I can't even argue confidently that he is the best to ever wear the spoked B on his chest.  But what is undeniable is that he belongs in the conversation.  He belongs in the same class as those Bruins' greats, regardless of his quirky antics off the ice.  He acted up a bit in his final days in Boston, but consider the bigger picture.  Consider what the man has been through.  He will be 39 years old in April.  He fought until he was 31 just to get a legitimate shot in the NHL.  Most goalies would call it quits.  Most athletes would call it quits.  Lingering in the minors is no fun, especially when you're the only one in the locker room who is almost a decade removed from college.

Thomas stuck with it.  He never gave up.  And pardon me if I'm over-simplifying, but Bruins fans ought to be damn happy he never gave up.  Because if he had, that Stanley Cup drought would be approaching 41 years this spring.

Tim Thomas may never play a game for the Islanders.  He may never play another game in the NHL.  But as we begin the post-Thomas era, choose not to reflect on his actions in politics, the media or anything else.

Instead, reflect on his actions on the ice.  Those are the ones that made him an ever-lasting piece of Bruins history.
 

Breaking Down the NHL Lockout

As you most likely know all too well, the NHL has been locked out for nearly three months now.  On September 15th, the league's previous Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL and the NHL Players' Association (NHLPA) expired, locking out the players until a new deal could be reached.  Some fans have followed the details scrupulously, and others have just been tweeting and complaining about the lack of their favorite sport.  If you aren't aware of the situation at hand, I'll do my best to break it down in the most understandable terms.

When you kept hearing about the 50-50 split that was desired, it was in reference to the way money is divided between the players and the owners in terms of hockey-related revenue.  What exactly hockey-related revenue is classified as, I cannot be sure.  But the important thing is, according to sources, the two sides have agreed on what HRR is defined as.  In the league's last working CBA that expired in September, the players earned a 57-43 share of HRR.  Owners wanted to bring the players' share down from 57 percent to 46 percent in the new CBA, but it seems that the sides have agreed in principle on a 50-50 split, after all.  That agreement finally came last week during a three-day negotiating session that ended abruptly when the NHL turned down a counter-proposal from the NHLPA.

The "Make Whole" Provision was another topic that was agreed on in principle, according to reporters who were at the hotel in New York City last week where the owners and players were negotiating.  In a nutshell, the "Make Whole" provision is the piece of the agreement that ensures existing player salaries are "made whole" despite the reduction of the percentage of revenue that goes to player salaries.  Originally, the NHL said they would pay $211 million over the course of the new CBA for the Make Whole provision.  The players originally demanded that the league pay $389 million.  It was a huge sticking point for a while, but in the league's most recent offer last week, they moved significantly — exactly half way, in fact — toward the players' demands with an offer to pay $300 million of the Make Whole provision.  The NHLPA accepted that particular part of the proposal.

So, to recap... last week's offer from the NHL included a 50-50 split in revenue (which the NHLPA agrees to) and a $300 million commitment from the league on the Make Whole provision (which the NHLPA also agrees to).  So what are the remaining sticking points here? After all, to reiterate the message of the previous two paragraphs, the two sides have essentially agreed on the money numbers in this deal.

One of the remaining issues is the length of the new CBA term. The NHL is demanding a 10-year Collective Bargaining Agreement with a mutual option between the two sides to opt out of that agreement after the first eight years.  The players, on the other hand, insist on an eight-year agreement with an option to opt out after the first six years.  Even if you're challenged with numbers, you can see that the different here is only two years.  Sources say that most players don't care all that much about this matter, and that they would accept the league's offer if they had to.  Donald Fehr, however — the NHLPA's leader, in the same role as Bill Daly plays for the owners — seems to care more than the players do.  He is one of the reasons that the sides haven't agreed on this issue yet.  The primary reason why the owners want 10 years is because of their willingness to pay $300 million in Make Whole money.  If the CBA is shorter than that, then the owners will not really achieve a true 50-50 split of HRR — the $300 million would significantly skew that percentage.

Another huge sticking point is maximum player contract lengths, which Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly refers to as "the hill [the NHL is] willing to die on."  The league proposes a five-year maximum for new player contracts, with seven years being the maximum if the player is re-signing with his current team.  The owners want to do away with ridiculously long contract situations (see: Ilya Kovalchuk, Rick Dipietro) that, ironically enough, they brought upon themselves.  Ultimately, they want to institute a policy to prevent those few owners who give the huge contracts from ruining the system.  The players, however, feel just as strongly as the league does in the opposite direction.  They believe that five years is too short a limit, and their counter was an eight-year minimum.  If one side or the other doesn't move at all, this thing could go up in flames from an issue that isn't even money-related.

The last major sticking point is the matter of player contract buyouts, which the NHLPA is trying to allow in the early stages of a new CBA.  The catch, though, is that the NHLPA wants those contracts to be eligible for buyout without that payment counting against the salary cap.  For obvious reasons, the league is against this notion as well.  The owners claim that, since they are already shelling out $300 million for the proposed Make Whole provision, they cannot have more money being exchanged outside of the system (i.e. the system = the salary cap).  Ultimately, this seems to be another issue that Donald Fehr is creating unjustly.  The Make Whole provision is entirely designed to help the players transition, financially, from one CBA to the next to cope with a reduction in their share of the money.  There really isn't a need for another transitional remedy like this when it comes to getting the players more money.

So what's the summary? Ultimately, if I can put this in the simplest terms possible, the NHL and the NHLPA are absurdly close to an agreement on the core issues.  It's rather aggravating that it hasn't been settled yet.  Here are a few concluding bullet points through which I will try to summarize my thoughts:

       • If the players themselves put the NHL's most recent proposal to a vote, it is more than likely that the players would accept the offer.  They want to get back on the ice.
       • Donald Fehr, the skipper of the NHLPA, is trying to get the best deal possible for his players. Kudos for that, but there comes a time when you must realize that you've haggled as much as you'll be able to.
       • Even though the league made a decent offer, I still find myself questioning whether or not they are truly committed to fixing things.  Did you know that the league (the owners) still make money from their TV contracts even when the league is locked out?
        • It's time for both sides to push hard for an agreement, and the reality is that the players will get screwed.  The owners hold the cards.  Donald Fehr, Steve Fehr and the rest of the NHLPA need to realize that and accept the NHL's most recent offer (which the league has attached a "take it or leave it" label to).  It's manageable, at worst.

The only thing I'm certain of at this point is that I miss hockey... a lot.  It is a shame that such rich men are unable to divide such huge sums of money in a satisfiable way.  And further, it is a shame that the two sides still cannot reach an agreement even after they've agreed on those core money splits.

Remember who brings the money in.  Remember who brought this sport back to prominence.  Remember your fans when you see your product spiral into destruction on the heels of another lost season.
    

NHL Playoffs: Predicting the First Round

It's finally that time of year again. The weather gets warm, the girls wear less clothing, the air conditioning replaces the heat and grill gets fired up. Those are some of the sweet signs that summer is approaching, and the beards that grow uncontrollably on the faces of dedicated men are the signs that intensity is skyrocketing. And for whichever lucky team that hoists the Stanley Cup in June, a mishandled lighter may start a forest fire on the face of their captain. After all, his beard will have been raging for over two months.

If you haven't figured it out, I'm talking about the NHL playoffs. With several outstanding match-ups in Round One, I'll try to pick my winners for each series and give a little explanation to back up the (sometimes bold) prediction. Here we go.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

#1 New York Rangers vs. #8 Ottawa Senators
Henrik Lundqvist and his crew are simply too good to lose in the first round. The Senators have some talent, and their offensive prowess will steal them a game. But a game is all I see the Sens stealing from John Tortorella and his Rangers. Rangers win in 5 games.

#2 Boston Bruins vs. #7 Washington Capitals
The Caps scared me for a brief moment when I saw that the B's were matched up against Ovechkin and company. Backstrom coming back healthy could be a huge addition. But when it comes down to it, Zdeno Chara and the rest of his fellow defensemen — and Tim Thomas, for that matter — have always had success shutting down offensively-minded, star-driven teams. That is the Washington Capitals in a nutshell. Bruins win in 5 games.

#3 Florida Panthers vs. #6 New Jersey Devils
Props to the Panthers for winning their division and getting to the playoffs. Good stuff to see Florida becoming a little bit relevant again. But the road ends here. The Devils equaled the Bruins' point total this year. Their division's dominance is the only reason they find themselves in the 6-hole. Not the kind of hole they can't climb out of. Devils win in 6 games.

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5 Philadelphia Flyers
Most people will consider this to be, without question, the most intriguing first round match-up in the NHL. These two teams have so much hatred boiling between them, their relationship makes the Bruins-Canucks relationship look like a mere bickering married couple. As long as neither side sees a player have his head dislodged from his shoulders, this one will come down to the wire each game. Ultimately, though, the Penguins are too fine-tuned a machine. Penguins win in 6 games.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

#1 Vancouver Canucks vs. #8 Los Angeles Kings
Upset alert! Of course, I pick an upset here in the pure hopes that the Canucks — who, if I haven't mentioned, I despise — will crash and burn after winning another Presidents' Trophy. But on the realistic side, the Kings have a goaltender who can get red-hot at any moment. They have some talent. They have been streaky in the past. It only takes a short streak to make history in the months of April, May and June. Kings win in 7 games.

#2 St. Louis Blues vs. #7 San Jose Sharks
Another match-up that showcases just how deep the Western Conference is. The Sharks are the seventh seed? San Jose would give just about any team in the East a lot of trouble. Having said that, they can give those Western teams trouble, as well. And they will. But defense wins championships, and the Blues survive. Blues win in 6 games. 

#3 Phoenix Coyotes vs. #6 Chicago Blackhawks
Like I did with the Panthers, I'll give the Coyotes props — they aren't the traditional powerhouse and many are calling for their relocation, but they got themselves to the dance. Anything can happen in these months, but Chicago's experience will give them an edge. Patty Kane's silky mitts cannot be contained easily. Hawks win in 6 games.

#4 Nashville Predators vs. #5 Detroit Red Wings
The 4-5 match-ups in both conferences are unreal. This is my favorite match-up out west. Just two different styles that will clash for the right to move on. Will it be the skill and possession of the Red Wings or the chippy, defensive game of the Preds that prevails? Nashville has the edge in goal with Pekka Rinne, as good as Jimmy Howard can be. This series is the biggest toss-up to me, but I have to pick someone. Predators win in 7 games.

It's going to be a blast. Let the games begin — and may the odds be ever in your favor!

PS — Appropriate Hunger Games reference or no? I mean the NHL playoffs are kind of like the Hunger Games, right? Vote 1 if you think Katniss should put an arrow through my skull for making that reference. Vote 10 if you think the NHL playoffs are exactly like the Hunger Games and everyone but the victor will suffer excruciating pain and loss.
   

Peverley Returns to Action as Bruins Play Duck Hunt

It may not have been the prettiest game the Boston Bruins have played this year, but it was exactly what the doctor ordered for game No. 75 of their season.

In Marty Turco's first start at goaltender since getting shellacked by the Tampa Bay Lightning two weeks prior and Rich Peverley's return from a 19-game absence, the B's played Duck Hunt in a 3-2 derailing of the Anaheim Ducks.

Zdeno Chara, Benoit Pouliot and Brian Rolston did the scoring for Boston, accounting for the first of several good signs. The top two forward lines for the Bruins have produced less consistently of late, and it's good to see secondary scoring getting them over the hump. After all, it was secondary scoring that got them through some of the most critical moments of last summer's Stanley Cup run.

In addition to the secondary scoring, we got another positive indication — Marty Turco can play goaltender. Donning his new bright yellow pads, Turco turned aside 25 of Anaheim's 27 shots to earn his first win as a member of the Bruins. It may seem a little bit meaningless since the veteran isn't even eligible to be on the playoff roster, but with their position in the Eastern Conference playoff picture not yet locked down, it will be crucial to get Tim Thomas some rest in the final seven games without sacrificing chances to earn points. I would expect Turco to get two more starts in the final seven games of the season. If I were a gambling man, I would pinpoint next Saturday's matinee with the Islanders as one of those two games. Depending on how things go, we may see him facing Ottawa or Buffalo in one of the last two games on Boston's schedule.

Perhaps the biggest positive to come from this Bruins victory, however, is the return of Rich Peverley to the lineup. Peverley had missed the previous 19 games spanning over two months with an MCL sprain. No. 49 skated with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand while Tyler Seguin moved back up to the top line with David Krejci and Milan Lucic. Jordan Caron, who previously skated with Krejci and Lucic, droped down to the fourth line alongside Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton. Daniel Paille became a healthy scratch as a result.

Peverley's impact to this roster was on display against the Ducks. He didn't find the scoresheet, but he was making plays. He fits the system. He's so versatile. When the playoffs come, we will see a few duos staying together. Bergeron will play with Marchand. Krejci will play with Lucic. Who will be the other winger on each of those lines? Now that Peverley has returned, it can really go either way. Seguin may stay with Krejci and Lucic, but if coach Claude Julien chooses to move the youngster back to the Bru-Tang Clan, Peverley is fully capable of stepping in to the right of Krejci. He brings an element that was so critical to the championship run we witnessed last season. Even if the B's may not get Nathan Horton back this postseason, it is an extreme relief to see that Peverley is back on the scene.

Many of you were panicking a week ago when the Bruins were sputtering. After all, they had given up six goals in back-to-back games, both of which were ugly losses. They had lost their grip on first place in the Northeast Division.

Now, having won four of their last five games, Boston stands five points ahead of Ottawa with a game in hand on the Sens. A few more wins can lock up the No. 2 seed in the East. But that's not really the important part.

What's important is that this team is getting closer to being at full health, and their game is clicking at the right time. The last time that happened, about 365 days ago, the ensuing results were relatively satisfying.
 

Frustration: The Word of 2012 for the Boston Bruins

There were many words that could be used to describe the calendar year of 2011 for the Boston Bruins. Hope, excitement, amazement and surreality were the words of their playoff run that culminated with a Stanley Cup championship in June. Joy, confidence and relief may have been some of the words used last November, when the Bruins bounced back from an abysmal start and regained their prowess as the class of the NHL.

As for 2012, the only word that comes to mind is frustration.

After a 4-3 loss to the New York Rangers on Sunday, the Bruins find themselves in a rut that has lasted quite a bit longer than expected. There have been flashes of positivity from new acquisitions Brian Rolston and Greg Zanon, but on the whole, things have not improved very much. Here are some reactionary thoughts I have after seeing the B's drop one-goal games on back-to-back days against New York teams.

Tim Thomas isn't as sharp as he needs to be.
Last season, it was the unique and incredibly effective style of Tim Thomas that catapulted the Bruins over their biggest obstacles and into the promised land by season's end. For much of this season, it has been the same story — but not consistently. Games like Sunday's affair with the Rangers are the types of games that raise concern across Bruins nation. What happens if Thomas loses his mojo in the playoffs? Boston's defense has morphed into one that concedes some chances and needs to be bailed out by their goaltender. These concerns have certainly been heightened with the loss of insurance blanket Tuukka Rask, whose injury may be pretty significant.

Too many close calls at the offensive blue line.
Many of the Bruins scoring chances are generated from their defensemen when possession has already been sustained in the offensive zone. Having said that, the B's defensemen are making way too many risky plays at the edge of their own zone that can turn into quick counter-attacks the other way. I'd like to see them start to focus their offensive zone play in the lower areas of the ice, even if it means occasionally rotating the third forward up high. We've seen the Bruins have success with that forward in the high slot before. 

We finally have a pulse coming from the third line.
Time for a little bit of optimism. We have a pulse! The third line finally showed some signs of life on Sunday when Benoit Pouliot and Jordan Caron each notched big goals for the Bruins. Having three lines that can score is a critical characteristic of successful Bruins teams. Last year, they put it together and got timely scoring from guys up and down the lineup. Right now, there are a few lines not doing much. One of them, in the past few games, anyway, is the second line. But it's not all bad news...

Brian Rolston reminds me of Mark Recchi.... a little bit.
Please don't misconstrue my words and say that I am claiming Rolston to be as good a fit as Recchi was last year. We most certainly are not at that point yet. Having said that, in the last couple of games, I've seen some progress with Rolston playing alongside linemates Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. Rolston is a fundamentally sound, smart veteran player with lots of experience and a Stanley Cup under his belt. That sounds a lot like Mark Recchi to me. Just remember — there were times last year when Bruins fans were calling for Claude Julien's head. Why is Recchi playing? The guy is too old. He's washed up. He's slow. He brings nothing to the table. Those fans ate their words. That leads me to my final observation...

Relax. Let the cards fall as they may.
Here's the bottom line. The Bruins went through struggles last season. Championship teams often have struggles somewhere along the line. Would anyone have thought the New York Giants were going to ride a hot streak all the way to a Super Bowl victory back in the middle of the season? For the Bruins, the top priority is getting healthy by the time their first playoff game comes around. If Nathan Horton and Rich Peverley return to the lineup, they will be exactly where they want to be. They aren't playing their best hockey right now, but just try to ask yourself — is now the time of year that you want them to play their best hockey?

Pretty simply, the answer is no. Now isn't the time to play your best hockey. Let's hope the B's are saving that for April and planning to keep it going through June once again.


Follow Derek Robinson on Twitter (@SirDRob).
 

Tweet of the Day — Jack Edwards

Seems like maybe the NESN crew had a drink-up before today's matinee between the Bruins and Islanders. Either than or Jack Edwards (@RealJackEdwards) is just a real weird cat. I guess "both" is the only adequate answer in this situation.

Anyway, real tough loss for the Bruins today. Frustrating in every way. Officials blowing, Nabokov standing on his dick and Tuukka Rask going down with an injury that does not look good. Anton Khudobin, our top goaltending prospect, is also down with an injury right now. Not looking good for the Bruins. The injury bug is striking hard.

 

Bruins Add Rolston, Zanon as Deadline Passes

Bruins fans anxiously waited throughout the day today to hear what kind of trade general manager Peter Chiarelli would swing in an effort to make his team more poised for a Stanley Cup run. Just as the 3 p.m. ET deadline struck, Boston hammered out two deals in quick succession to provide the depth that they were likely seeking.

First, the Bruins shipped prospects Yannick Riendeau and Marc Cantin to the New York Islanders in exchange for forward Brian Rolston and defenseman Mike Mottau.

Rolston is the biggest piece in the trade, while it is likely that Mottau never sees the ice for the black and gold. Rolston — who turned 39 last week — spent several seasons with the Bruins earlier in his career, but is well over the hill when it comes to production on the ice. He will look to be a depth player for the Bruins, and he likely won't figure into the lineup if/when Boston returns to full health.

A few minutes after completing that deal, the Bruins completed what is being reported as a one-for-one swap with the Minnesota Wild. The B's send young defenseman Steven Kampfer to the Wild in exchange for veteran defenseman Greg Zanon. Zanon is known as a shot-blocking defenseman and has finished near the top of the NHL each of the past few seasons in that category. He has blocked 104 shots this season, which now ranks him second on the Bruins roster behind Dennis Seidenberg.

The real question — how did Boston do this deadline? I mentioned yesterday that I wasn't expecting a big name to be brought in, but that Peter Chiarelli could still make a move. And I expected him to. With Johnny Boychuk now concussed and Rich Peverley and Nathan Horton still out of the lineup, the Bruins needed some depth on both the forward and defensive fronts.

Zanon brings a lot more to the table than Kampfer, and for that reason, I love the trade with Minnesota. Kampfer is a defensive liability, and he is not the type of player Boston needs to step into the defensive rotation when one of their six defensemen goes down. On top of that, the Bruins have several young defensemen in their minor league system that will be breaking onto the NHL scene int he next few years. Kampfer is expendable. Zanon, on the other hand, is a strong defensive defenseman who can be counted on to step up when needed. In addition, he may create some healthy competition along the blue line with Joe Corvo playing poorly of late.

As for Rolston, don't expect him to bring a ton of spark. Still, he is a veteran who has been in the league for a long time. He's the type of player you would prefer to place next to young guys on a temporary third line — Caron, Hennessy and Camper, for example, is a line far too inexperienced to succeed.

Boston's objective will still be to get healthy by the playoffs and get everyone playing up to their potential. As much as anyone may like these deadline moves, there is a chance that none of these acquired players will be a part of the playoff equation if Boychuk, Peverley and Horton all return.

Until that time, it will be up to Brian Rolston and Greg Zanon to find their spot in the Bruins locker room and prepare themselves for what may be a rigorous journey over the next few months.

As Deadline Approaches, Where Do Bruins Stand?

At 3 p.m. ET on Monday afternoon, the NHL trade deadline will have finally arrived and teams around the league will have either missed or taken advantage of their final shot to land a player that will improve their chances. A week ago, most Bruins fans would have considered it imperative that the team land a big name. What does the scene look like now after the B's gathered seven points on a six-game road swing?

There are plenty of names on the market this year. Yesterday, Rick Nash's agent threw a wrench into the mix when he stated that he hopes for a trade before the deadline. Dustin Brown of the LA Kings was rumored to be a hot commodity — and one that Boston was interested in, as well — but several reports have said he is no longer available. Tuomo Ruutu was taken out of the field when Carolina signed him to a new deal, but players like Ray Whitney, Shane Doan and even Jerome Iginla may still be on the block. Will any of them be donning black and gold by the end of the week?

In short, my knee-jerk reaction to that question is a negative. Peter Chiarelli has been very careful to make sure his team chemistry is exactly what he wants, and he has never really overpaid for a huge name at the deadline. The closest thing would be going out and getting Tomas Kaberle last season — and although we won the cup, Bruins fans would likely agree that Kaberle didn't exactly work out as planned.

Right now, despite their relatively successful road trip, the Bruins roster is not good enough to compete for another championship. The reason, of course, is the absence of both Nathan Horton and Rich Peverley. This team cannot win consistently with Carter Camper, Jordan Caron and Josh Hennessy playing regular shifts. Getting healthy will be the biggest obstacle, and that is the viewpoint the front office likely holds, as well.

A trade would probably make their team more formidable right now. But to Cam Neely, Peter Chiarelli and company, their team is exactly what they want come playoff time if their injured players can recover by then. Rich Peverley is expected back before the playoffs. Shawn Thornton missed Saturday's game against Ottawa, but his injury shouldn't keep him out long. The real question lies in the concussion situation that Nathan Horton is currently fighting.

Even when Peverley comes back, are the Bruins a tad shy of where they need to be as long as Horton is sidelined? After all, this is the guy who buried a Game 5 double-overtime winner and a Game 7 overtime winner against Montreal last season, only to follow it up with a late-third period Game 7 winner against Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference Finals. Needless to say, he brings an element of clutch play and timely scoring that the Bruins will need in the months of May and June. And on top of all of that, he is the piece that makes fellow linemates David Krejci and Milan Lucic really click.

When you think about it that way, the B's may be better served to go out and get a replacement for Horton. Peter Chiarelli has voiced those ideas already and mentioned that it was a possibility. But when it comes down to it, the Bruins' management group will be very careful when it comes to removing current pieces of the puzzle.

This is a team that won the Stanley Cup last June. You can be sure that Chiarelli won't go breaking up the core members of that group as a last-ditch effort to improve.

Just remember — they still are pretty damn good.

Welcome to Beantown Chowder

Ladies and gentlemen, the show has returned. Some of you likely remember the days of Ultimate Boston and the memories that came with those times. Our readership wasn't all that big, but we had a good group of faithful readers who interacted and sparked some interesting conversation. This time around, we're hoping to grow a little bit further.

It won't be easy, and it won't happen overnight. But we love the blogging game nonetheless, and we live and die by the Boston sports scene. It won't be all sports analysis all the time, though. We will be looking into some ways to get new, creative segments that can be featured on somewhat of a regular basis. Remember Who Dat? and Cage Fight posts? Those creative types of things with a touch of humor should be coming back around. For those of you who gamble, we have our sports gambling specialist — Bobby Booze is the name — who will drop the tips for you to bring in the cash. The kid won three hundo last summer, including a victory on Keegan Bradley in the US Open. Who the hell bets on one guy to win a golf tournament from the start? Bobby Booze does.

You'll get all of this and more. My name is DRob, and I'm the creator and founder of the site. I may be the one who writes a majority of the posts, but my fellow writers will be contributors, too. Average Joe was a member of the Ultimate Boston team, and he will be on board for Beantown Chowder as well. We might be interested in adding some more writers, so make sure you visit the Become a Writer application. Give us something unique — a reason why you're worth a shot.

Let's get this party started. You can visit the Chowdah Shop through the link at the top of the page. The shop is the same as the old Ultimate store, but we will add more new products in the future. I'm looking forward to kick-starting blogging career part two.