- Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe: When asked if his players should feel uncomfortable in the dressing room, Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli said, “Absolutely. Absolutely.” They are getting healthy, but may not be together long.
“It’s never fun to be in this situation — to try and improve your roster when you’re not in a real position of strength,” Chiarelli said. “There’s not a lot of activity going around. But you try and peck away and try to improve your team. At the same time, you hope these guys can string a couple games together. We have to watch this closely.”
The Bruins are not sure when Simon Gagne will return to the team.
- DJ Bean of WEEI: The Bruins have some decisions to make.
“So, with two months to go until the NHL’s trade deadline, Chiarelli should think long and hard before deciding that this season is one worth investing in. That doesn’t just mean he should be wary of trading assets for rental players that will walk at season’s end; it even means he should be careful as he chooses whether to play David Pastrnak for five more NHL games this season and therefore bring the 18-year-old scorer one year closer to his next contract.”
The Bruins haven’t started contract extension talks with pending UFA Carl Soderberg.
- Nichols on Hockey: Darren Dreger on TSN 690 on Milan Lucic rumors.
“Well, he’s not going to be traded. Pete Chiarelli told me that bluntly yesterday on the phone. He just said – Look, when you’re not doing as well as the fan base expects, or perhaps upper management, or in this case ownership. The Boston Bruins organization, this is a proud club. They know that they’re better than what their record indicates. They know that Milan Lucic can play better. Their top players need to play better for them to climb back into a place they’re comfortable with and that’s near the top of the Eastern Conference.
“So he’s kicking tires, and has been for several weeks now. I mean, Chiarelli has talked to just about everyone. His primary focus, I believe, has been on Antoine Vermette in Arizona. Obviously there’s a good relationship with Jim Benning, who’s now the general manager in Vancouver. So maybe there’s a fit there. Earlier there was a discussion with the St. Louis Blues and a winger in St. Louis. Buffalo, that dance between Tim Murray and Chiarelli has been ongoing since the offseason on Chris Stewart.
“The Bruins want to add another offensive piece. They did not replace Jarome Iginla or Nathan Horton. The injury excuse is no longer in play. So it’s a couple of things. It’s his best, including Tuukka Rask, needing to be better. But the general manager is trying to be active to find a deal that makes sense, something he can live with, and trading Milan Lucic doesn’t make sense.”
Bob McKenzie on TSN 1040 on the Canucks and Bruins.
“There were some rumours over the last few days that former Boston Bruins assistant general manager and now Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning was talking to his compatriot and former boss, Pete Chiarelli, in Boston. Now what that was about I don’t know for a fact, but there’s lot of speculation that Loui Eriksson was a name that potentially might end up on the move out of Boston and would Vancouver have some interest in him.
“So it’ll be curious to see if there’s a fit there, or whether Pete Chiarelli and Jim Benning were just renewing acquaintances.”