Bruins' Schedule Released

The Bruins begin their defense of the Stanley Cup (God that felt good to write) on October 6th at home. They'll get to raise the banner (another orgasmic phrase to type out) as they host the Philadelphia Flyers. On October 8th, they'll play a rematch of the Eastern Conference Championship against the Lightning, also at home.

The big date that stands out is January 7th, when the Canucks come to town. The Bruins will not travel to Vancouver.

Canadien games:
Thursday 10/27 in Boston
Saturday 10/29 in Montreal
Monday 11/21 in Montreal
Monday 12/19 in Boston
Thursday 1/12 in Boston
Wednesday 2/15 in Montreal

The Detroit Red Wings come to town on November 25th in the Black Friday matinee.

The Bruins will host the Flyers on St. Patrick's Day (Saturday March 17) in what will probably be the drunkest game of the year, despite the 1:00pm start time.

The Bruins make their first trip to Winnipeg on Tuesday December 6th.

Phil Kessel and the Maple Leafs will come to town on October 20th, December 3rd, and March 19th.

The regular season will end Saturday April 7th when the B's host the Sabres.

-The Commodore

Maple Leafs 4, Bruins 3 (SO)

The Bruins finally played someone who played with effort and determination. And they lost. And without some soft goaltending by James Reimer, they would have lost badly.

It's the same laundry list of problems for the Bruins. Not managing the puck well. Not being able to breakout of their own zone. Not hustling for loose pucks. And a boring Power Play.

For about 2 seasons now, the B's have tried the same static, motionless Power Play strategy. How come they haven't tried something different? It's so easy for opposing PK groups to sit in a box formation, and play the predictable passing lanes, allowing the Bruins to pass around the box, but not into it. Moving bodies around moves those lanes around, which forces the penalty killers to move. That can lead to 2-on-1s in shooting areas. That leads to quality shots, which lead to goals.

The Bruins continue to drift toward the playoffs. And if they step it up in the postseason, then great. But I'd rather see them build some good habits now, and try to maintain those habits for an extended period.

Bruins host the Thrashers Saturday afternoon.

-The Commodore

Maple Leafs 5, Bruins 2

Maybe if Tim Thomas hadn't had one of his worst games in months, and if James Reimer hadn't had the best game of his career, the Bruins could have eked out a win, or an OT loss. But for too long, Thomas has carried this team. And when he dropped them, nobody else picked them up.

Thomas, along with Lucic and Chara, have been the load bearing talent all season. All three had bad games. Thomas was caught out of position. Lucic had a few token shots that wouldn't trouble a high school goalie. And Chara failed twice to make a play on a puck, which led to a Toronto goal.

The rest of the team was doing what they've been doing all year long: being very good at being very mediocre.

Toronto was fighting Saturday night. They're just a few points out of the playoffs. Just like Nashville was fighting on Thursday. The Bruins have no fight in them. They might play a good shift here and there, but they can't string multiple quality shifts in a row. There's no fire. No motivation. No dedication.

Then the mistakes. McQuaid was beat to the outside, and that resulted in a goal. Chara had some miscues that ultimately resulted in a goal. Seidenberg completely screened Rask, then failed to block a shot, allowing a goal.

Actually, I think the defensemen have probably been making these errors all season. We just didn't notice. Because when Thomas was on his A-Game, those errors didn't become costly errors.

I just don't like many of the forwards on this team. We have a 1st line center who can't score goals. We have an "energy" line that hasn't produced energy since January. We have frequently slumping "scorers," and more role players than there are roles.

The Bruins' offense is like a very complex machine with a million moving parts. When everything's in order, the machine produces. But it just takes one tiny flaw in all those parts for the whole thing to break down. Ryder turns the puck over too much. Lucic is slumping, so the whole 1st line can't score. Marchand and Bergeron are cold, so now the whole team can't score.

Then there's the power play, which hasn't produced a 5 on 4 goal since February 18th, and they're 1 for their last 29.

If the Bruins aren't motivated by seeding, they should at least be motivated by pride. Down 5-1 going into the 3rd, they didn't show any life, or any determination to win the period until just a minute was left on the clock.

This team will not make much noise in the playoffs. I'm fairly certain of it. I'll still watch, I'll still hope. But it's sort of like how I feel about MegaMillions on Tuesday. I've bought a ticket, because you never know. But I haven't put a down payment on a Ferrari yet.

Bruins host the surging Devils on Tuesday. Then the Canadiens on Thursday. Should be an interesting week.

-The Commodore

Breaking News: Bruins Trade For Kaberle

So it is finally done....

The Bruins traded their first round pick, a conditional 2nd round pick in 2012, and Joe Colborne for Tomas Kaberle. I have been waiting all day for this to finally has. He gives the Bruins exactly what they need (especially on the powerplay), he is a puck moving defenseman, that should fit in nicely with the rest of the team. This is the Bruins 2nd trade today, and you have to wonder if they have anything else up their sleeves.

Kaberle To Bruins Falling Apart? (3 UPDATES)

"As discussed by Nick Kypreos and Doug MacLean of Rogers Sportsnet, Brian Burke wants young, active players in lieu of draft picks in return for Tomas Kaberle. And, up until Wednesday afternoon, the Toronto Maple Leafs general manager claimed his counterpart with the Boston Bruins had only offered picks. Once GM Peter Chiarelli is willing to throw forward Blake Wheeler the Leafs' way, this deal should get done (ESPN)."

We have been waiting for Wheeler to take advantage of his physical tools for far too long. I used to be very cautious about trading Wheeler, but at this point I think it might be worth it. The concern is that Kaberle is a free agent at the end of the year and could just walk, but if the Bruins want any chance at the Stanley Cup they have to make this trade. How many more years are you going to get Thomas playing the way he is right now.

Plus, one of their biggest problems right now is that they have no one to play the point on the power play. I love Recchi as much as the next guy, but he leaves the Bruins too vulnerable to a shorthanded goal. Kaberle fits that position perfectly, and I really hope they pull this deal off.

***UPDATE***

Getting closer...

"According to a report from TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger, the Bruins are close to a trade that would send four-time All-Star defenseman Tomas Kaberle to Boston. Dreger reports that the trade is not likely to happen on Thursday, but sources tell him that the deal is close and does not hinge on Kaberle signing an extension with the Bruins. Cap flexibility is also a factor, and a secondary trade might be needed by the Bruins in order to create cap space (WEEI 2/17/11)."

***UPDATE #2***

Even closer?

"According to Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe, the Bruins and Maple Leafs are nearing a deal that would send defenseman Tomas Kaberle to Boston in exchange for center Joe Colborne and the Bruins' 2011 first-round pick (WEEI 2/18/11)."

***UPDATE #3***

It sounds like it is just a matter of time till this trade is announced...

"It looks as though Tomas Kaberle has been asked to waive his NTC to BOS and there's every reason to believe he'll waive (TSN 2/18/11)."

Maple Leafs 4, Bruins 3

What happened to the defensively minded Bruins? You know, that team that struggled to score goals, but were at the top of the NHL in goals allowed and penalty killing? I miss those guys.

The B's have allowed 22 goals in their last 4 games. And in the last 5 games, they've allowed 9 power play goals, in 22 attempts (a 59.1% kill rate). They're PK unit has plummeted to 14th in the NHL and 10th in the East.

And that's just the first problem this team's been having. They don't care for the puck. Last night, they tried so many low-percentage passes, trying to sneak it past Toronto's players, as if they didn't realize they were playing against another team.

The defensemen haven't been playing their best. We saw Grabovski score the game-winner when he was by himself against both Seidenberg and Ference. How does that happen? Chara helped Toronto score earlier when he tripped Tim Thomas. Missed assignments, lack of communication, lack of physicality, these problems have plagued the blue-liners for about a week now.

Either Fraud Julien isn't the defensive genius we once thought he was, or his soldiers have stopped listening.

And the power play unit, which scored another breakaway goal, needs to adjust its philosophy once they've entered the offensive zone. As it is, Chara and Recchi camp out on the blue-line, Krejci by the halfwall, Lucic and someone else in the slot. Then they hover in their little territories. There's no movement, no bodies cycling around, causing disruption and confusion, or at least getting open for a pass. On a power play, Zdeno Chara should not be moving around more than the forwards.

Then there's guys like Blake Wheeler. What does he contribute?

Then there's guys like Daniel Paille. He does his job as a role-player, but the ratio of role-player to playmaker on this team is way off balance.

David Krejci simply isn't a top line center. You have to be able to score in order to be on of those. And to score, you have to be able to shoot. He's on pace to finish the season with 12 goals and 56 points. That's simply not good enough.

Maybe Lucic-Bergeron-Marchand for a top line? Recchi-Krejci-Ryder for the 2nd? Wheeler-Seguin-Horton on the slump line. Thinking about this, should the Bruins get a puck moving defensemen with forwards like these? To me, if they can't get a decent enough forward to supplement this group, then they should keep Toronto's pick and hope to build for 2011-12. Because one more defenseman won't turn David Krejci into a 30 goal scorer, nor will it give Blake Wheeler a purpose.

Bruins at Islanders Thursday night.

-The Commodore

Maple Leafs @ Bruins Preview

The Bruins have a 1 point lead in the Northeast over Montreal. They have watched their lead fall apart, since beating the shit out of the Canadiens on Feb 9th. Since then they have dropped 2 straight game (both to Detroit), and people are starting to wonder if the Bruins have what it takes to be an "elite" team. As I said in my post earlier I think they have to make a deal to be in that class.

The good news is tonight they don't need to be "elite". Toronto is terrible, and the Bruins should be able to rip them apart. The Bruins are 11-1-2 in the last 14 game against Toronto, and are 6-0 at home with a 30-13 scoring advantage over the Maple Leafs. To make matters worse for Toronto they just traded away one of their biggest scoring threats (Kris Versteeg) to Philadelphia, he had 14 goals and 21 assists for Toronto.

The Bruins should win this game easily (especially if Thomas is in net). 6 of Boston's next 7 game are against team currently outside the playoff picture, including 2 with Ottawa and another at Edmonton (2 worst teams in the NHL), so if there was ever a time for the Bruins to make a run, now is that time.

Bruins win 5-1
Player of the Game: Horton
Game starts at 7pm on NESN.

Bruins Trade Rumors

With Savard out for the year the Bruins have some cap room to play with. Peter Chairelli was recently on WEEI and said that he would "bet of the Bruins making a move". The question now is, what will this "move" be?

The Bruins have Toronto's first round pick again this year, and that could be a big chip in the trading market. Their dream is Brad Richards or Zach Bogosian, but the most likely scenario is Tomas Kaberle, who has been rumored about for 2 years now. Kaberle would give them that coveted "puck moving" defenseman they have been looking for.

I personally think it's much more important for them to add some offensive firepower. Richards would obviously be the best option, but someone like Jason Arnott could be a decent option. Bruins might be able to get him cheap too because the Devils are terrible and he is 36 years old. Still, I don't know if that would be enough to push the Bruins over the edge, so I would still be disappointed unless they got a big time goal scorer.

Bruins 2, Maple Leafs 1

I was glad to see Tuukka Rask in the Boston net to start the game. The Bruins need Thomas fresh and rested, which therefore means they need Tuukka Rask to perform as an adequate backup. And he has done that this year, despite a deceptively bad 3-7-1 record.

Rask stopped 36 shots, and the only goal he allowed was aided by Mark Recchi skating off the ice to be changed out, giving Mikhail Grabovski a world of space for his breakaway goal.

The Bruins' top line had been in a mini-slump coming into this game. Lucic hadn't registered a point in 7 games. Horton hadn't scored a goal in 9 games, and had only 1 assist in that stretch. Savard only had 2 assists in the last 7 games.

Last night, all three resumed their productivity. Horton and Savard scored in the 2nd, with Horton and Lucic getting the assists on Savard's goal. They were threatening all night, cycling the puck around, moving without the puck, creating space and opportunities for each other, getting the defensemen involved, and ultimately winning the game.

Lucic and Horton have scored 28 of the Bruins' 112 goals this season, which is precisely one fourth the team's total. In other words, when these guys are cold, the Bruins aren't scoring. And Savard also needs to get in on the fun. It's kind of weird to see him at only 2 goals nearly halfway through the season.

The Bruins end their 5 game road trip with a 3-0-2 record and 8 points. Not too shabby. They just need to keep up the good work, and straighten a few rough edges. Ryder and Wheeler, for instance, need to get going. Last night, I don't think they did a single thing right on offense.

The Bruins host the Wild on Thursday. Minnesota are 13th in the West, so this is a good chance to keep things rolling going into a tough stretch of games in Montreal and Pittsburgh.

-The Commodore

Bruins @ Maple Leafs Preview

The Bruins are still in first place, but they haven't been playing well. They let up 7 goals last game, and are only 4-3-3 in their last 10 games. The good news is they are playing the Maple Leafs tonight, and they are one of the worst teams in the NHL.

I can't rip the Bruins too much because they are 3-0-2 in their last 5 games, but I am still feeling like they should be so much better. They scored 4 goals in their first 10 shots last game vs Buffalo, and yet they blew it. It just annoys me, because it seems like when they get one part of their game going, another falls apart.

With the Bruins defense/goalies getting crushed last game, I expect them to come out and make a statement. I have no question that they will, but I do question if the offense will keep it up. That's why I think this will be a close, low scoring game.

Bruins win 3-1
Player of the Game: Chara
Game starts at 7pm on NESN.

Maple Leafs 3, Bruins 2 (SO)

I know not to expect 8 goals a game. I know with the forwards the Bruins have, they'll sometimes struggle to score. That's not too frustrating. They are who they are. But when they fail to keep a lead, it's infuriating.

To be fair, this was the first time the Bruins had a lead in a game, and wound up losing the contest. That's impressive. But how much of that is due to Tim Thomas making unreal stops? And he almost stole another one Sunday night.

The Bruins were 42 seconds from a 2-1 road win. One might argue "they were close to winning that." But throughout the 3rd period, they were closer to losing it. It's just that Thomas kept them up 2-1 with some ridiculous saves.



Although that one came in the OT, you get the idea.

The Bruins once again resumed their bad, undisciplined, porous neutral zone habits in the 3rd period. In their 3-0 win over Philly last week, they maintained the lead by not allowing the Flyers to bring the puck up the ice without expending some effort. It was exactly how the Bruins need to play in order to win.

They're going to find themselves in 2-1, 3-2 games throughout this season, and in the post-season. They don't have the offensive talents to regularly add to their leads, so they need to make it as hard as possible for their opponents to even reach the offensive zone.

Toronto sucks, and the Bruins lost a point up there. It's a shame. Not only do these points add up, but these neutral zone habits have been plaguing the team for years.

Sabres in town tomorrow night on Versus.

-The Commodore

Bruins 2, Maple Leafs 0

After Tyler Seguin netted his first goal on home ice, the Garden crowd chanted "Thank You, Kessel" over and over again. While I laughed and thought it was a quality chant, the fans probably should have been thanking Tim Thomas. Or maybe they should have thanked all the other NHL teams that didn't want him this off-season.

Thomas became the first Bruin goalie since Tiny Thompson to start a season with 5 straight wins. Tiny started the 1938-39 campaign with a 6-0 run. If not for a really stupid decision with the puck last week, Thomas would have 3 shutouts already.



Thomas only had to stop 20 shots, a credit to the Bruins' defensemen and forwards, who harassed the Leafs in the neutral zone for most of the game. But Thomas made solid positional saves, two or three of the acrobatic variety, and most importantly his puck handling was, shall we say, more traditional.

On the other side of things, the Bruins played excellent special teams hockey. They scored a power play goal, killed 5 penalties, and were very close to some shorthanded goals. If this team kills penalties as well as they did last year, but adds some consistency to the power play, they can become very dangerous in a playoff series.

Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg both had sensational games in all three zones. Chara assisted on Bergeron's goal (the 100th of his career), and it was Seidenberg who set-up Seguin. Nathan Horton's point streak ended, but he did boost his season penalty minutes total from 0 to 15 with just a few punches.



Horton got a 10 minute misconduct for punching Phaneuf AFTER this picture. These refs weren't my favorites.

Blake Wheeler continues to be useless. He made one or two decent plays, but then caught Dennis Wideman Disease (DWD) and made some really awful ones too. Andrew Ference had a similar night. Adam McQuaid was very solid filling in for Boychuk. He made one glaring mistake, but also nipped it in the bud very quickly. Mark Stuart was physical and played a very sound game.



The Bruins have started a stretch of divisional games the right way. They travel to Ottawa on Saturday, then Buffalo next Tuesday. Then it's Washington again? Yes it is. Great job, NHL. The Bruins will play Washington three times in a 17 day span. Then once more for the remaining 156 days of the season.

Anyway, Bruins at the 4-5-1 Senators Saturday night.

-The Commodore

Maple Leafs @ Bruins Preview

The Bruins finally get back on the ice tonight, and they are facing a team that has been linked to them ever since the Bruins traded Kessel.

Phil Kessel leads the Maple Leafs with nine points, and looks as good as advertised. Meanwhile, Seguin has 3 points in limited minutes, but honestly the kid is a teenager, what did you expect?

Toronto is 3-8-3 in its last 14 games against the Bruins and are 5-2-1 on the season. The Bruins are 4-2, but undefeated when Tim Thomas is in net. As of right now WEEI is saying they expect Thomas to get the start tonight.

The Bruins offense has been carried for the most part by one line (Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton). In six games, they have collected 9 goals and 22 points. They have also amassed 43 shots, an average of seven per game. Krejci finally has guys around him that can put the puck in the net, which is something he didn't have last year with Horton in Florida, and Lucic hurt.

Boston will win this game tonight because they are the better all around team. Plus Thomas is on fire right now, and I just don't see Kessel being able to get around Chara.

Bruins win 5-1
Player of the Game: Horton/Thomas
Game starts at 7pm on NESN.

More Trades Coming For Bruins?

Since yesterday when the Bruins made a trade for Nathan Horton there have been rumors flying around...

"Some people are telling TSN's Darren Dreger that Marc Savard is available in a trade, and the New York Post's Larry Brooks adds that they've been "aggressively shopping Savard since the end of their season (ESPN)."

The onyl way I see the Bruins trading Savard is if they know Hall is going to get taken before they pick. If that is the case then the Bruins need to open up a center spot, and deal Savard would also give them some cap relief.

After the trade of Wideman the Bruins could also be on the lookout for a veteran defenseman to take his place. There have been rumors about a deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs to bring in Tomas Kaberle, whom the Bruins have had interest in for a while.

Another rumors going around is that the Bruins might trade future draft picks, so they can get their hands on the Blue Jackets pick (#4 overall), so they can get their hands on a top defenseman (Erik Gudrbanson, Cam Fowler or Brandon Gormley). They Bruins should be able to pull off that deal if they want to since they have 4 pick in the first 2 rounds of next year draft, and a bunch of later picks this year as well.

Bruins 2, Maple Leafs 1 (OT)

The Celtics and Bruins aren't exactly in the same situations. The C's are gearing up for the postseason, the B's are just hoping to have one. But it is fair to say that neither team has met expectations in their regular seasons.

The Bruins needed to get 2 points Saturday night in Toronto. Despite being in the top 8, it was their last game of the season against an "easy" opponent (they play Washington twice in their last 4), and both the Canadiens and Rangers won their games, with the Thrashers losing in OT.

The B's blue-line has been a casualty list all season. Mark Stuart was out for this game with cellulitis, then his replacement (Andrew Bodnarchuk) played dreadfully, then Dennis Seidenberg's hand was sliced by a skate. At one point, when Dennis Wideman had to go back to the locker room for repairs, the Bruins had a mere 3 defenseman. Zdeno Chara played a staggering 32:53 of this game.

Yet it was Chara's hip-high shot in overtime that Miroslav Satan deflected (quite luckily) into the Toronto net, giving the Bruins a desperately needed 2 points.

Here's what the playoff race looks like:

Team - Games Remaining - Points
6. Montreal - 3 - 86 points
7. BOSTON - 4 - 84 points
8. Philadelphia - 3 - 84 points
-----------------------
9. NY Rangers - 4 - 82 points
10. Atlanta - 3 - 81 points

The Bruins can clinch a playoff spot with 6 points in their remaining 4 games. But that won't be easy. Monday they're @ Washington, Thursday they host Buffalo, Saturday afternoon Carolina comes to town, and Sunday at high noon, it's @ Washington again.

The Capitals have the best record in the NHL, with 51 wins. They're next to unbeatable at home, with a record of 28-5-5. They've scored 108 more goals than the Bruins this season.

Not only must the Bruins make the playoffs to salvage a scrap of dignity from this season, I think an 8th seed is just the same as not making the playoffs, because then they'd have to play Washington. A 7 or 6 seed would give the Bruins at least some chance of advancement.

It's Bruins @ Capitals, tonight at 7 on Versus.

-The Commodore

Maple Leafs 4, Bruins 3 (OT)

Just to put this season in perspective, the Bruins now have 70 points. Last year, they attained this 70 point level on January 15.

What they don't have much of is character. Or fire. Or grit. Whatever you want to call that intangible thing that gives winning teams an additional edge in a fierce battle.

After Savard went down on Sunday, the Bruins didn't retaliate. They tried to win their game. And that was acceptable to me at the time. They're in a playoff race, the points are vital, focus on winning. But the Bruins weren't focused on winning last night in Toronto, they were focused on playing just good enough to not get embarrassed.

Toronto sucks. You saw their goaltending, their defense. And even without Savard and Chara in the lineup, the Bruins are significantly superior to the Leafs. On paper.

Michael "appendix" Ryder is a completely useless waste of space. He serves no purpose. His linemates should get credit for short-handed time on ice, because he really is a great big nothing out there. -3 last night.

And why is it that whenever an opposing player scores a junk goal off a rebound, they always share the crease with Dennis Wideman? He looks like Hal Gill more and more every day. He's just a big screen in front of Thomas out there.

In the next week, the Bruins are at Philly, at Montreal, at New Jersey. That's the 6th, 7th, and 4th place teams in the East. This upcoming stretch is key.

-The Commodore

Bruins @ Maple Leafs Preview (UPDATED)

The Bruins were hoping that they could bring the team together after the Olympics, instead there has been more of the same for this team. Savard could be lost for the year, they still can't score, and are just barely hanging on to the playoffs (currently 8th seed).

This will be the 5th time the Bruins have played Toronto. The Bruins are 3-1 in their meeting, and this is yet another chance to beat a shitty team to keep the Bruins playoff hopes alive.

What would I like to see in this game? I would like to see someone knock Kessel the fuck out. The only thing I want to see is the Bruins be fucking angry. Their best player was taken out, and there was very little reaction. Well, fuck it lets make the Maple Leafs pay for it.

Game starts at 7pm on NESN.


***UPDATED***

Zdeno Chara will not play tonight. Claude Julien said Chara suffered a lower-body injury in Sunday's 2-1 loss to Pittsburgh. Chara is considered day-to-day...and the dark cloud continues to hover.

Bruins 3 Maple Leafs 2 (SO)

The Bruins home woes have ended. If they had lost this game they would have tied the longest home losing streak ever by a Bruins team, but they won, so I guess this is good news. Still, how pumped can you be that you beat one of the worst teams in the league in a shootout. A win is a win, but I don't feel much better after it.

The good news is Tim Thomas looked a lot more like he did last season. Thomas made 24 saves, stopping Tyler Bozak with a pad save to end the shootout before pumping his glove to celebrate Boston's first win of 2010 in the TD Garden. The biggest saves might have come against former Bruin Phil Kessel, whom Thomas stopped at point-blank range 3 times in and again in the shootout.

Miroslav Satan scored a goal in regulation and the only goal of the shootout to give the Bruins the win (Johnny Boychuk also scored).

Hopefully this win will turns things around for the Bruins, but I'm not holding my breathe. The same problems they have had all season were still evident in this game (scoring), and unless the key players for Boston step up the Bruins will be lucky to make the playoffs.

Maple Leafs @ Bruins Preview

The Bruins did what they have been doing all season last game. They had a lead going late into the game and they blew it. They also struggled to score all game, putting up only 1 goal. We can play the blame game, but if the Bruins want to salvage this season they can't afford to do that.

Luckily Toronto is one of the worst teams in the league (which is why it is awesome we have their 1st round pick). The Maple Leafs are the Eastern Conference's last-place team, and have dropped 6 in a row on the road. That would be a lot more comforting if it hadn't been more than two months since the Boston Bruins won a home game. If they lose tonight they will tie the longest home losing streak in Bruins history (11).

The Bruins didn't add any forwards before Wednesday's trade deadline, although they're hoping the acquisition of defenseman Dennis Seidenberg will help. So, what does he bring to the table? Well, he has 23 points and an NHL-best 179 blocked shots in 62 games. So, hopefully that makes life easier for the goalies.

Game starts 7PM on NESN. Tim Thomas will be in net tonight.

Toronto Trades Could Really Hurt Bruins

Toronto made 2 trades this weekend. The deal is the Maple Leafs get Jean-Sebastien Giguere from the Anaheim Ducks for Jason Blake and Vesa Toskala. Then they turned around and got Dion Phaneuf from the slumping Calgary Flames. So, why is this terrible news for the Bruins?

Well, if you can remember when the Bruins traded Kessel to Toronto this got 2 first round pick, one of which was thought to be a top 3 pick, but with these deals the Leafs could very well climb the rankings, which will lower the Bruins pick in the draft. The question is what are the Bruins going to do about it?

Does this make the pick expendable? Because before the Bruins had stated that they were unwilling to trade that pick, but if it is not a top 3 pick, why not go out and deal it if you can make your team better?

These trades really could change the Bruins look at their team. Instead of sitting back and waiting for the draft maybe they will trade this pick. Just something to keep an eye on in the next couple weeks, because how the Maple Leafs play from here on out will directly affect the Bruins.