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.