- Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe: If the Bruins miss the playoffs, Peter Chiarelli and/or Claude Julien could pay the price.
“Whether it’s Cam or Charlie who said we’re all under review, I understand that,” Chiarelli said. “We’ve had a lot of success here in my tenure and Claude’s tenure. We’re having a down year. It’s unfortunate that we’re under review for one year. But I understand. We’ve got to make things better.”
The Bruins primary needs are on the blueline and a right winger. Kevan Miller is out for the season are having season-ending shoulder surgery. The Bruins won’t trade their first round pick. They have two second round picks, theirs and the Flyers from the Johnny Boychuk trade.
“It’s just hard to make a trade,” Chiarelli said. “It doesn’t just happen. It doesn’t happen like that. You need two teams that are willing to exchange ideas, then consummate a trade.
“I’ve exchanged a lot of ideas all year. But a lot of teams are still in it. You have to try and find a fit with teams.
“When things aren’t going well and there’s a perception in the media that there’s a dark cloud looming over our heads, it’s harder to make trades. Guys know when you’re at a disadvantage. When that stuff is out there, it’s very difficult.
“But my job is to make the team better. I don’t have any excuses. Nobody has any excuses.”
- Brett Cyrgalis of the NY Post: On talk that the Bruins could trade Zdeno Chara.
Come on. First off, there is no plausible return for Big Z that would be commensurate with his importance to the franchise, on and off the ice. You would have to find a real sucker to take on his almost $7 million cap hit for the next three years. He’s going to be 38 in March, has tons of mileage on his legs, and, if you look closely, there’s a piano slowly developing on his back.
You might be able to find someone to take Loui Eriksson ($4.5 million for one more year) or Dennis Seidenberg ($4 million for the next three years). Moving them for picks and prospects would create some much needed cap space. The Bruins have around $1.5 million in cap space.
- Nicholas Goss of NESN: The Bruins could use a depth forward to improve their fourth line and a top-six right winger to play with David Krejci and Milan Lucic. The Bruins could also use a top-four defenseman, preferably a right-handed one. Dennis Seidenberg and Adam McQuid have struggled this year. McQuaid is better suited for a third pairing.
Billy Jaffe on the Bruins trade options