In an effort to boost their lineup for a playoff push the Bruins ponied up a 2nd and a 4th round draft pick in order to pry Stempniak’s services from New Jersey.
Stempniak did his part after being acquired as he tallied 10 points in 19 games while trying to adjust to a new system, teammates, etc.
So what’s the problem here? Well, the Bruins didn’t end up qualifying for the playoffs.
Trading a 2nd and a 4th round pick isn’t mortgaging the future, but that’s a big price to pay for 19 games of a player; especially one the Bruins, and 28 other teams, could have signed for pennies just a handful of months prior.