The Bruins Corner

David Krejci diagnosed with H1N1

2009-11-05T14:52:00.002-05:00

Today Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli announced that David Krejci has been diagnosed with H1N1 and will be away from the team until he is symptom free and fever free for 24 hours.

"Like most people, we are taking many precautions to try to prevent our players and staff from contracting the H1N1 virus," said Chiarelli. "Our medical staff is working with David to get him healthy as soon as possible, and our players and staff will continue to take precautions with hopes of preventing the spread of the virus to others in the organization."
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The Bruins play the Montreal Canadiens tonight, their first meeting this season and it should be good.

The Bruins recalled forward Mikko Lehtonen from the Providence Bruins (AHL) on an emergency basis.

Also today Peter Chiarelli announced that the Bruins have signed goalie Tuukka Rask to a two-year contract extension through the 2011-12 season.

Marc Savard injured with broken leg

2009-10-21T12:26:00.001-04:00

Well last season the Bruins weren't faced with much adversity but it looks like they're getting a double dose of it this season as now Marc Savard is injured with a broken left leg and will be out 4-6 weeks. Savard joins Milan Lucic on the long term injured reserve. The Bruins have recalled veteran forward Trent Whitfield from Providence (AHL) on an emergency basis. Wow just more bad news for the Bruins with the news of Savard's injury, what else will go wrong this season.

Bruins acquire Daniel Paille

2009-10-21T02:28:00.000-04:00

Today the Bruins acquired left wing Daniel Paille from the Buffalo Sabres for Boston's natural third round pick in 2010 and a conditional fourth round pick in 2010. He should be available to play Wednesday night against the Nashville Predators.

Paille has appeared in 195 career games in the NHL - all with Buffalo - and has amassed 35-42=77 totals and 54 penalty minutes. Originally drafted by the Sabres in the first round (20th overall) of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, the 25-year-old Paille enjoyed his best season statistically in 2007-08 when he set career highs in games played, goals, assists and points after tallying 19 goals, 16 assists for 35 points in 77 games.

Last year, the 6'0, 197-pound forward registered 12-15=27 totals. He has skated in two games this year and recorded one assist for Buffalo.
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Lucic out 4-6 weeks after surgery

2009-10-20T01:51:00.000-04:00

Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli announced today that Bruins forward Milan Lucic had successful surgery to repair his broken right index finger. Lucic will be out for 4-6 weeks.

Lucic's surgery was performed by Dr. Matthew Leibman at Massachusetts General Hospital on Sunday, October 18. Lucic sustained the injury on Friday, October 16 during the team's game against the Dallas Stars.

The 21-year-old has skated in six games this season with 0-3=3 totals. He was placed on Long Term Injured Reserve on Sunday, October 18, retroactive to October 16.
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With Lucic being out for that long this is bad news. The Bruins got to step up and play much better than what they've been showing, except for the game vs the Stars. Hopefully Craig Weller or someone can step in and provide the physical presence that Lucic usually does. It's going to be a big hole to fill.

Bruins trade Kobasew, make roster moves

2009-10-18T23:42:00.003-04:00

First the big news as forward Chuck Kobasew has been traded to the Minnesota Wild. In return the Bruins get a second round draft choice in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, the rights to unsigned draft choice Alexander Fallstrom, and forward Craig Weller.

Some info about Fallstrom and Weller:

Fallstrom, selected in the fourth round (116th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, began his freshman year at Harvard University in September, 2009. A native of Gothenburg, Sweden, he played for Brinken, Lindigo and Djurgarden in Sweden before moving to Minnesota where he attended Shattuck St. Mary's School from 2007-2009. A senior captain at Shattuck St. Mary's in 2008-09, Fallstrom led his team with 40 goals and 87 points (40-47=87) in 52 games. In his first season with Shattuck he had 67 points (20-47=67) in 62 games.

Weller, a fifth round selection of the St. Louis Blues in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft (167th overall), has played in 95 NHL games with the Phoenix Coyotes and Minnesota Wild and has 4-10=14 totals with 127 penalty minutes. This season, Weller has played five games for the Houston Aeros (AHL) and has one assist and seven penalty minutes. Last season, Weller played in 36 games for the Wild and earned 1-2=3 totals and 47 PIM's.
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I've seen Weller in some games when he played for the Phoenix Coyotes and Minnesota Wild and he's more of a fourth line player, somewhat like Byron Bitz but not with the offensive upside of Bitz. But Weller will fight more and is a more experienced fighter than Bitz.

The Bruins earlier today loaned forward Guillaume Lefebvre to the Providence Bruins (AHL) for a game today. But later tonight they recalled Lefebvre and also called up forwards Brad Marchand and Vladimir Sobotka. Also Milan Lucic was placed on the long term injured reserve with a broken finger. Hopefully Lucic's finger heals quickly and he can come back and play.

Lucic out, Lefebvre recalled, Bruins lose

2009-10-18T13:11:00.000-04:00

Another bad performance by the Bruins last night against the Phoenix Coyotes. Bruins Milan Lucic missed last night's game vs the Coyotes due to a broken finger. Bruins coach Claude Julien on Lucic's injury:

"Right now, I think the severity of it, we're not 100 percent sure," coach Claude Julien said. "We'll re-evaluate it with our own doctors when we get home. We'll probably have more news at the beginning of the week."
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Before yesterday's game, the Bruins recalled forward Guillaume Lefebvre on an emergency basis from Providence (AHL).

The Bruins next game is at home against the Nashville Predators on Wednesday. The Predators have been struggling this season with a 2-4-1 record, only scoring 10 goals in 7 games.

Dennis Wideman will miss road trip

2009-10-15T23:05:00.001-04:00

Bruins defenseman Dennis Wideman will not make the 2-game roadtrip the Bruins will be on this weekend. Wideman has an upper-body injury that will keep him out of the lineup.

Another change will be the first two lines. Milan Lucic will move to the second line with David Krejci and Blake Wheeler. As Michael Ryder will move to the first line with Marc Savard and Marco Sturm. Hopefully this will provide an offensive spark that the Bruins need.

Bruins coach Claude Julien on the change:

"It might take a little pressure off, but more than that hopefully we'll have the focus we need to be successful and find the identity of our hockey team that we like so much."

"It's never a bad thing -- just a little tweak," said Julien. "We'll see if that will help...shake things up a bit."

"Maybe it will spark something, but I don't think [the change] is reflected [of anything] besides trying to get the best four line combinations."

"It's something different...I think Lucic has had real good success with Krejci before, they've worked well together when he's been on that line in the past," he said. "And with Michael...when you look back at the last game [when he] was a decent player."

"[You see that] when he works hard he creates chances and when he works hard he is strong on the puck."

"And with Sturmie [Marco Sturm] with speed and with Savvy you hope that somehow something can come out of [it]," said Julien.
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Bruins start slow this season

2009-10-14T11:00:00.002-04:00

The Bruins haven't looked good this year, minus the second game vs the Carolina Hurricanes where they looked like last year's team. To me they seem not into games with the slow starts. The hitting has really not been there in the first two periods in most of the games. The Bruins have their first road trip this season starting on Friday where they take on the Dallas Stars. It's only a 2-game road trip though. They'll take on the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday. Hopefully things turn around on this road trip for the Bruins.

The Bruins are currently 2-3-0 through five games with four points and tied for third place with the Montreal Canadiens in the Northeast division. They have a total of sixteen goals scored and nineteen goals scored against them.

A few interesting stats: defenseman Derek Morris is a -4; David Krejci and Milan Lucic have 0 goals. Mark Stuart is playing well with a +4 rating (leading the Bruins in that stat).

Tim Thomas is 1-2-0 with a 4.00 GAA and a 86.8% save percentage. Tuukka Rask is 1-1-0 with a 3.39 GAA and a 88.3% save percentage.

Milan Lucic signs 3-year extension

2009-10-06T17:45:00.000-04:00

Great news for Boston Bruins fans as power forward Milan Lucic has signed a 3-year contract extension through the 2012-2013 NHL season. And bad news for other Eastern conference teams that will have to play against him. I'm looking for Lucic to have a career year this year where it looks like he will mostly be playing on the first line with Marc Savard and Marco Sturm. We'll see how that goes. The Bruins next game is on Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks.

The 21-year-old Lucic set career highs in all major statistical categories last year after recording 17 goals and 25 assists for 42 points, in addition to tallying 136 penalty minutes and a +17 rating. He netted his first career hat trick and a career-best four points on October 25, 2008, after a 3-1=4 performance against the Atlanta Thrashers.

During the 2008-09 postseason, the 6’3’’ 228-pound winger had three goals and six assists and a team best +12 plus/minus rating in 10 games.

In his rookie year in 2007-08, Lucic registered 8-19=27 totals and 89 penalty minutes in 77 contests. Lucic earned the team's "Seventh Player Award" for his efforts, an award voted on by the fans and given to the Bruin who performs above and beyond expectations. He also contributed two goals in seven postseason games.
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Bruins get revenge on Hurricanes

2009-10-04T23:53:00.022-04:00

Last night the Bruins got some revenge on the Carolina Hurricanes as they pummeled them on the scoreboard and physically on the ice. The Bruins won the game 7-2 and won the fights that took place in the game. The Bruins had seven different goal scorers and thirteen different players got points. Watch the game summary video courtesy of the NHL.

Ex-Bruins Aaron Ward and Andrew Alberts both made numerous errors that led to Bruins chances and goals. Milan Lucic bloodied Jay Harrison in a good fight where both guys landed some nice shots. Harrison was a bloody mess after the fight. After that fight, former Bruin Andrew Alberts hit Marco Sturm from behind with a cross check and push into the boards. Marc Savard went after him and then everyone joined in as a pile ensued. Out of the pile came Zdeno Chara and Tom Kostopoulos where Chara man handled him and Kostopoulos was left grabbing onto Chara's leg for mercy. You can watch video all the fights and action.

The Bruins next play on Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks. If you remember their meeting last season, then you probably remember when Milan Lucic and Mike Brown had a fight where an angry Lucic kept throwing punches at Brown when he was down. We'll see if those two have a rematch on Thursday. I doubt it as Brown is out of Lucic's weight class but you never know I guess. Also in that same game, Marc Savard and Scott Niedermayer had a quick roughing exchange. Thursday's game should be an interesting one.

Krejci likely to play tonight

2009-10-01T12:37:00.000-04:00

Good news for the Bruins and for tonight. David Krejci is expected to play in tonight's game vs the Washington Capitals.

Bruins coach Claude Julien on David Krejci:

"The official (decision) will be (today), but right now things are looking good," Julien said after practice yesterday. "He's feeling better and more confident. He's ahead of schedule and a lot of the credit has to go to two different (parties): Obviously him, with how hard he's worked at it; but also our trainers for how hard they've worked. Donnie (DelNegro) and Scott Waugh have done a tremendous job in rehabilitating him and putting him ahead of schedule."
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The lines for tonight's game seem to probably look like:

1st line:
C - Marc Savard
LW - Milan Lucic
RW - Marco Sturm

2nd line:
C - David Krejci
LW - Blake Wheeler
RW - Michael Ryder

3rd line:
C - Patrice Bergeron
LW - Mark Recchi
RW - Chuck Kobasew

4th line:
C - Steve Begin
LW - Shawn Thornton
RW - Byron Bitz

G - Tim Thomas

Recent roster moves by the Bruins
On Saturday, the Bruins the following players were waived to go to Providence (AHL): Drew Fata, Drew Larman, Guillaume Lefebvre, Dany Sabourin, Trent Whitfield and Andy Wozniewski. None were claimed so they will be with the Providence Bruins. Mikko Lehtonen, Jeff LoVecchio and Adam McQuaid have also been assigned to Providence (AHL); and Kirk MacDonald has been returned to Providence.

On Monday, the Bruins sent forwards Zach Hamill and Brad Marchand to the Providence Bruins (AHL).

On Wednesday, forward Vladimir Sobotka was sent to Providence (AHL).

Bruins camp roster cuts

2009-09-20T19:20:00.000-04:00

The Bruins have made some training camp roster cuts, they're listed below courtesy of BostonBruins.com:

Adam Courchaine, Matt Dalton, Jordan Knackstedt, and Matt Marquardt have been assigned to Boston's American Hockey League affiliate, the Providence Bruins.

Scott Fletcher and Rob Kwiet have been released from their tryout agreement with the Boston Bruins are being returned to Providence.

Alain Goulet and Lane MacDermid are unsigned draft choices who are being released from Boston's training camp and reporting to Providence's training camp.

Ryan Button, Jordan Caron, Michael Hutchinson, and Tyler Randell are unsigned draft choices who are being returned to their respective junior clubs.

Chris DeSousa, Brad Good, Mark Isherwood, Jason Lawrence, Taylor MacDougall, Peter Stevens, Jason Wilson and Marc Zanetti have been released from their Boston Bruins Rookie Camp tryout agreements. Please note that Wilson participated in Boston’s full training camp in addition to their rookie camp.
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Also, for you Bruins fans, like me, that like the preseason fights, I found some from YouTube and put them in the videos section of the site.

Bruins trade Kessel to Toronto

2009-09-18T23:48:00.007-04:00

Well it was bound to happen it seemed and now it has happened. The Bruins have traded young star Phil Kessel to the Toronto Maple Leafs for first round picks in 2010 and 2011 and a second round pick in 2010. I think it was good to get those high draft picks from a team like Toronto that is rebuilding and won't probably make the playoffs this season. But trading a star winger to a team in your own division I do not like. Hopefully the Bruins can shut Kessel down when they play against him. Let me know your thoughts on this trade, was it a good or bad trade?

Update on 09/19/09 at 2:52 PM
Here are comments from Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli and forward Patrice Bergeron about the Kessel trade. First, from Chiarelli:

"A trade of this nature is obviously difficult. When you trade a good young player who can score goals with speed, who we drafted and helped develop, so obviously it's a difficult thing and I'll fill you in on some of the details. But let me be perfectly clear, this trade is really about two things: one, it's about a player who did not want to play in Boston, and two, it's about the threat or the perceived threat of an offer sheet. And I'll get into detail a little bit those two things, but really that's what this trade is all about."
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And from Bergeron:

"Well, I think for us, we're pretty happy with what we have in the dressing room and we believe in all the guys that's here right now," he said. "It's Phil's decision and we all respect that, but at the same time we're here in training camp and we feel good with all the guys that are here now."
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Update on 09/19/09 at 4:45 PM
Yahoo's Puck Daddy has a good blog post about the Kessel trade and mentioned some stuff that makes you think he may have been a problem in the Bruins locker room and now he is Toronto's problem. I did not know about these incidents so this definitely interested me. In the Puck Daddy blog post, they link to two other articles, the first article on theScore.com with some Blue Jackets staff interviewing Kessel pre-draft, and some really non-team/selfish comments. The other article on CBCSports.ca is also a good read and expands on some of Kessel's weaknesses.

A guy who beat testicular cancer, but wouldn't play through last season's shoulder injury until teammates pointed out they were playing through worse.

...

Lucic arrived willing to do anything and everything necessary to succeed. It was no trouble getting him to do extra work on the ice or in the weight room. It was much, much harder to convince Kessel that the extra work is necessary. There is still a feeling that he doesn't understand how important it is. One teammate said, "He is still young (22 in October), so he will figure it out." Others are not so charitable.

...

One of the reasons he dropped down to fifth in the 2006 NHL Draft were suggestions that he was coddled and not receptive to criticism. That label remains. Julien's had a tough relationship with Kessel because that's not his style. (The two even fought about the kind of stick Kessel used.)
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We all know Kessel doesn't like talking with the media. I remember seeing him on some NESN interviews where he looked out of place and didn't really want to be there. If it was hard for him in Boston, well it's going to be ten times harder in Toronto where they go nuts about hockey like fans in Boston go nuts about the Red Sox. Kessel signed a 5-year $27 million contract with Toronto. Good luck to you Kessel.

Update on 09/19/09 at 5:32 PM
Yes another update to this post as I found an interesting article on TSN.ca. Read the quotes below from the article.

"This is not about frugality," Boston general manager Peter Chiarelli said on Saturday. "There were some significant offers made."

Chiarelli said Kessel told him in July he no longer wanted to play in Boston, and the Bruins traded the rights to the 21-year-old former first-round pick to the Maple Leafs for Toronto's first-round picks in each of the next two drafts plus the Leafs' second-round pick in 2010.

...

It is believed Kessel's problems with the team started when coach Claude Julien benched him for part of the first-round 2008 playoff series against Montreal. Julien was unhappy with Kessel's two-way play, something the coach said improved last season.

"My first year here (2007-08) was really trying to convince him that we were really trying to make him a better player and that he needed to just understand that," Julien said on Saturday. "Obviously, he did because he scored 36 goals the next year (and was a plus-23), but I even told him in a conversation that I didn't get a bonus for making him a bad player, so that he had to understand that everything I did was to try and make him a better player and I think that message was understood."

...

"We are all happy with what we have, the group of guys we have in this room," captain Zdeno Chara said. "I can't really make comments on Phil's behalf, what he felt, why he decided not to be part of it. It's absolutely Phil's decision. It's part of the business."
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Sounds like Kessel trade coming soon

2009-09-17T17:02:00.001-04:00

The Boston Herald today is reporting that "two well-placed sources in Toronto" said that the Toronto Maple Leafs are close to pulling off a blockbuster trade to get Bruins Phil Kessel.

According to the sources, the deal likely will be finalized within the next week, as four teams are in the running. Toronto and Nashville have made the best offers in talks with B's general manager Peter Chiarelli. Minnesota and the New York Rangers also are in the mix.

The Bruins hoped all along to keep Kessel but could not re-sign him despite making a lucrative offer, so they are close to getting what they can for him and moving on.

"We're obviously at an impasse," Chiarelli said before last night's preseason game against the Maple Leafs, where he expected to speak to Toronto counterpart Brian Burke.
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I really don't want to see Kessel traded to the Leafs because they are in the Bruins division and despite not being physical, Kessel can put the puck in the net. With Toronto though, they don't have a center like Marc Savard to dish the puck to Kessel so you never know. I guess we'll find out in the coming week happens with Kessel.

Phil Kessel probably not a Bruin anymore

2009-09-14T02:40:00.000-04:00

The latest news on Phil Kessel is not good as it looks like he will be traded. The front runner seems to be the Toronto Maple Leafs but it would be best if he wasn't traded to a team in our division. Losing Kessel will mean lots of goals to make up for but I think the Bruins can handle that. Kessel was the softest player on the team and hasn't shown the want to be physical. So we'll see what happens with Kessel as there is also talk that the New York Rangers and Nashville Predators are also interested in Kessel.

From an article on Boston Globe site:

Chiarelli has what Burke wants, and Kessel's agent already has informed the Bruins that he is done negotiating with the Spoked-B franchise. Both Kessel and Arnott have shot down that impasse, which was reported here first last week, but that’s only because they don’t want Kessel's reputation in Boston to morph into what Dany Heatley's became in Ottawa when he requested out over the summer...
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From an article on TSN:

The Leafs, New York Rangers and the Nashville Predators are the three most aggressive bidders, but at least two other teams are also believed to be in the hunt.

At this point there is nothing imminent, but Kessel's future is a hot topic in Boston.

The Boston Globe reported Friday that Kessel has made it clear his priority is to sign an offer sheet with another NHL team and he doesn't intend on negotiating with the Bruins any longer.

Kessel's agent, Wade Arnott refutes this, saying they have never stopped talking to the Bruins and Kessel's priority is to play in the NHL - if not with Boston, then with the team that successfully acquires him.

"The story in the Boston media is a complete fabrication," Arnott told TSN. "Having said that, we are at an impasse with the Bruins."

Arnott insists Kessel hasn't taken a hard stance, but acknowledges that - based on the impasse - the young forward's days in Boston are likely over.
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Bruins training camp roster

2009-09-12T02:42:00.000-04:00

On Thursday the Bruins announced their 54-man roster for the Bruins 2009 Training Camp. List of players is below courtesy of BostonBruins.com:

2009 BRUINS TRAINING CAMP ROSTER (SUBJECT TO CHANGE):

Forwards (31):
Jamie Arniel, Steve Begin, Patrice Bergeron, Byron Bitz, Jordan Caron, Zach Hamill, Jordan Knackstedt, Chuck Kobasew, David Krejci, Drew Larman, Guillaume Lefebvre, Mikko Lehtonen, Jeff LoVecchio, Milan Lucic, Brad Marchand, Matt Marquardt, Lane MacDermid, Kirk MacDonald, Levi Nelson, Tyler Randell, Mark Recchi, Yannick Riendeau, Michael Ryder, Marc Savard, Max Sauve, Vladimir Sobotka, Marco Sturm, Shawn Thornton, Blake Wheeler, Trent Whitfield, Jason Wilson

Defensemen (16):
Andrew Bodnarchuk, Johnny Boychuk, Ryan Button, Zdeno Chara, Drew Fata, Andrew Ference, Alain Goulet, Matt Hunwick, Rob Kwiet, Adam McQuaid, Derek Morris, Zach McKelvie, Jeff Penner, Mark Stuart, Dennis Wideman, Andy Wozniewski

Goaltenders (7):
Adam Courchaine, Matt Dalton, Michael Hutchinson, Tuukka Rask, Kevin Regan, Dany Sabourin, Tim Thomas

Unsigned Restricted Free Agents as of September 10 (1):
Phil Kessel
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You can also view the preseason schedule on that same page with the players listed (link above).

Bruins sign Andy Wozniewski

2009-09-10T16:24:00.001-04:00

Today it was announced that the Bruins have signed defenseman Andy Wozniewski to a one-year contract. Wozniewski is a big defenseman, listed at 6'5" 225lbs but I don't remember him being that great of a player last season with Toronto. And if Toronto traded him away then he's probably not all that, since they needed defense help last season. Look for Wozniewski to be in Providence (AHL) or the seventh defenseman on the Bruins roster who is scratched for most nights.

Wozniewski split the 2008-09 season between the St. Louis Blues' and Pittsburgh Penguins' AHL affiliates. He played in 56 games for the Peoria Rivermen with 1-16=17 totals and 56 penalty minutes before being traded to the Penguins organization. He then skated in 18 games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and posted 2-2=4 totals, and 26 penalty minutes.

Wozniewski appeared in one NHL game for the Blues during the 08-09 on February 3 versus the Columbus Blue Jackets.
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Bruins sign Claude Julien to extension

2009-09-04T11:52:00.003-04:00

Today it was announced that the Bruins have signed coach Claude Julien to a multi-year contract extension. This is good news as Julien has done a great job with the Bruins team since he came aboard. Hopefully this next season they build on last year's success.

Julien, who completed his second season with the Bruins in 2008-09, guided Boston to the Eastern Conference's top record in the regular season, finishing 53-19-10 for 116 points. He was voted the winner of the 2009 Jack Adams Award, which is awarded "to the head coach who has contributed the most to his team's success," becoming just the third head coach in Bruin history to capture the award.
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P.J. Axelsson signs with Swedish team

2009-07-28T00:42:00.004-04:00

The Stanley Cup of Chowder blog is reporting and the Boston Herald is reporting it too, that Bruins forward P.J. Axelsson has signed a 4-year contract with Frolunda of the Swedish Elite League. I want to wish Axelsson the best of luck there as he gave it all for the Bruins during his 11 years here as one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL. Axelsson played a total of 797 regular season games, scoring 103 goals and having 287 total points. In 54 playoff games he scored 4 goals and had 7 points. He won't be forgotten and he will be missed.

Bruins sign Derek Morris

2009-07-25T14:33:00.004-04:00

TSN.ca is reporting that the Bruins have signed defenseman Derek Morris to a one-year contract for $3.3 million. So with this signing the Aaron Ward trade makes a little more sense. But still I think $3.3 million for Morris is a bit high but I'm hoping he can play the way he use to back in his Calgary Flames days. Morris brings more offense to the game than Ward did, but I think Ward was better defensively. I'm thinking Morris will be paired with Zdeno Chara and that should be an interesting pair. Also Morris is known for getting injuries so hopefully that doesn't happen this coming season for him. Now we just got to wait and see what happens with Phil Kessel as with this signing I'm not sure how much room in the cap there is for him.

This will be the fifth NHL stop for the Edmonton native who also patrolled the blue line for the Rangers, Coyotes, Avalanche and Flames during his 10-year career.

In 75 games last season split between New York and Phoenix, the 30-year old Morris had five goals and 15 assists.

Morris was originally a first round pick, 13th overall by the Calgary Flames in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft.
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Bruins trade Aaron Ward to Hurricanes

2009-07-25T14:19:00.003-04:00

The Bruins have traded defenseman Aaron Ward to the Carolina Hurricanes for forward Patrick Eaves and a 4th-round draft pick next year. I'm going to miss Ward as he brought a strong D game every night and played well for the Bruins. Best of luck to him in Carolina. If you're also wondering what may happen with Ward and Scott Walker, remembering the sucker punch incident in the playoffs, Ward had this to say about it:

"Tell him I still have practice -- I'll get him back at practice," Ward said with a smile. "It's water under the bridge. I'm on his team now. ... There's a lot of emotion in the playoffs, both in the media and playing the game. ... I'll see Scott Walker when he comes in, shake his hand, tell him how grateful I am to be here, how excited I am to play with him, and it'll be past."
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After the trade, the Bruins put Patrick Eaves on waivers to get more cap room. No big loss here as Eaves only had 6 goals in 74 games. He'll be lucky to find a team for next season and probably end up in the AHL. We'll see what happens with restricted free agent Phil Kessel, hopefully the Bruins can work out a deal with him.

Bruins resign Matt Hunwick

2009-07-21T09:49:00.003-04:00

Yesterday the Bruins announced that they re-signed defenseman Matt Hunwick to a multi-year deal.

Hunwick registered six goals, 21 assists and a plus/minus rating of +15 in 53 games during his rookie season in 2008-09. His 27 points placed him third amongst Bruins defensemen and he scored his first NHL goal on November 17, 2008 against the Maple Leafs. Hunwick played forward in six games last year and posted 1-1-2 totals while skating up front.
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Good to see Hunwick signed for more than a year. I think he will continue to get better as he surprised me in how well he played last season.

Bruins sign Fata and Sabourin

2009-07-08T17:06:00.002-04:00

Yesterday the Bruins announced that they signed defenseman Drew Fata and goalie Dany Sabourin to one-year contracts. These two players are most likely pickups for the AHL Providence Bruins team, as Tuukka Rask is the probable backup to Tim Thomas this coming season, so Sabourin should get playing time down with Providence. And with Jeremy Reich signing with the New York Islanders, Fata brings toughness to fill that void for Providence with Reich gone.

The 26-year-old Fata split the 2008-09 season between the San Antonio Rampage and the Binghamton Senators, both of the American Hockey League. He skated in 75 regular season games with seven goals, nine assists and 141 penalty minutes. He has played in eight career NHL games and registered 1-1=2 totals with nine penalty minutes, all with the New York Islanders.

The 28-year-old Sabourin appeared in 19 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2008-09 season and registered a 6-8-2 record, 2.85 Goals Against Average and .898 save percentage. On January 17, 2009, he was traded by Pittsburgh along with Ryan Stone and a 2011 fourth round pick to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for goaltender Mathieu Garon. Sabourin did not appear in a game with the Oilers before being waived on January 20, 2009.
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Bruins player moves

2009-07-03T17:50:00.015-04:00

Here is the latest on player moves by the Bruins and some players they have already lost to free agency by signing with other teams.

On June 30th, the Bruins bought out the contract of forward Peter Schaefer.

On July 1st, the Bruins re-signed forward Byron Bitz to a multi-year contract. The Bruins signed ex-Montreal/Dallas forward pest Steve Begin to a one-year contract. If you remember Begin was the one with that cheapshot on Marc Savard which broke a bone in Savard's back. Hopefully Begin can be that same kind of pest for the Bruins against Montreal and everyone else. He's also known for dishing out some big hits. The Bruins re-signed defenseman Johnny Boychuk to a one-year contract. Martin St. Pierre signed with the Ottawa Senators.

On July 2nd, the Bruins re-signed veteran Mark Recchi to a one-year contract. This will be Recchi's last season playing hockey. Forward Jeremy Reich signed with the New York Islanders. Defenseman Steve Montador signed with the Buffalo Sabres. Defenseman Shane Hnidy signed with the Minnesota Wild.

Looking at some Bruins opponents in the Eastern Conference, Montreal and Toronto have changed their team much. Montreal has added forwards Brian Gionta, Mike Cammalleri, and Scott Gomez (through a trade with New York), and defensemen Jaroslav Spacek and Hal Gill so far. Toronto has added a lot more toughness with defensemen Mike Komisarek, Garnet Exelby (through a trade with Atlanta), and enforcer Colton Orr. So now we'll be watching those Toronto games more closer with Lucic and Komisarek going at each other again.

Bruins draft results

2009-07-01T14:31:00.001-04:00

The 2009 NHL Entry Draft was on June 26th and 27th and in case you missed it, here were the Bruins picks. In the first round, the Bruins drafted forward Jordan Caron with the 25th overall pick.

Caron, a 6-2, 202-pound forward has spent the past three seasons playing with the Rimouski Oceanics in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). In 2008-2009 Caron was his team’s leading scorer, notching 36 goals and 31 assists for 67 points in 56 regular season games. His 36 goals ranked him 11th overall in scoring in the QMJHL. From October 6-October 12, Caron scored five goals, including two game-winners and was named the QMJHL offensive player of the week.
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On day 2 of the NHL draft, the Bruins drafted defenseman Ryan Button, forward Lane Macdermid, forward Tyler Randell, and forward Ben Sexton.

In the third round, with the 86th overall pick, the Bruins selected 18-year-old defenseman Ryan Button. The 6-0, 185 lb. Edmonton, Alberta native spent 2008-2009 with the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League (WHL). With the Raiders, Button tallied five goals and 32 assists, for 37 points in 70 games, making him his team’s highest scoring defenseman. He finished the season tied for second on the Raiders in assists, while his 32 assists tied him for 18th in the WHL out of all the league's defensemen. Button has appeared in 128 career games in two seasons with Prince Albert, registering 5-40=45 totals and 73 penalty minutes.

Boston used its fourth round pick, 112th overall, to select 19-year-old Lane Macdermid, a forward from the Memorial Cup Champion Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He split his 2008-09 season with the Owen Sound Attack and Windsor. With Owen Sound, he played in 26 regular season contests with eight goals, six assists, and 14 points before being traded to the Spitfires on December 8, 2008. With Windsor, he played 38 regular season contests with 7 goals, 14 assists, and 21 points. He also appeared in 20 playoff games during Windsor’s Memorial Cup run with 4-5=9 totals and 38 penalty minutes. In 2008-2009, Macdermid was assessed 17 fighting majors and has collected 502 penalty minutes in 187 career regular season games in the OHL. Macdermid is the son of former NHLer Paul Macdermid, who is a veteran of 690 career NHL games.

The Bruins returned to action in the sixth round (176th overall) by selecting Tyler Randell, a 6'1, 191 pound 18-year-old forward from Brampton, Ontario. Randell spent the beginning of his 2008-2009 season with the Belleville Bulls of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) where he had a total of 10 goals, five assists and 15 points in 36 games. He continued the 2008-2009 season with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL after being traded on December 17, 2008 where he played in 37 regular season games with 14 goals, 8 assists, and 22 points. In 2008 Randell was also a member of the 2008 Gold Medal Ontario U17 team. In 135 career games over three seasons in the OHL, Randell has compiled a 29-19=48 line.

Boston’s final pick in the draft was used to select forward Ben Sexton, 206th overall. The 5'11, 182-pound native of Ottawa, Ontario spent 2008-2009 with the Nepean Raiders of the Central Junior A Hockey League (CJHL). He played in 87 regular season games in two seasons with the Raiders totaling 30-38=68 career totals. Sexton has committed to Clarkson University for the 2010-2011 season.
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