The Boston Bruins made a total of three trades prior to the deadline, but fans were quick to point out that the club didn’t bring in the impact player they needed. The Bruins acquired Brett Connolly and Max Talbot as well as a couple of prospects, making the organization one of the most active at the deadline. However, the Bruins were open with their comments following the deadline and admitted that they were trying to do more.
GM Peter Chiarelli stated that the Bruins tried to make bigger trades, but they were tied due to their cap space and they didn’t want to sacrifice the team’s future for some rentals.
Via ProHockeyTalk:
“It’s been tough as far as getting a trade done, getting any sort of transaction done. For us, we’re obviously under a cap crunch, but it’s just hard to get a deal done and you see the prices are so high.
We’re looking to the future and also to the present. Our moves were necessitated by the prices and if we’re going to spend the picks that we spent, let’s look at all options, not just rental options.”
Bruins fans may not take solace in the fact the Bruins tried to do more, but Chiarelli’s comments are right on the money. At the very least, fans should give Chiarelli credit for trying to get some deals made, but ultimately the tight cap space situation was Chiarelli’s own undoing.
The Bruins were wise to avoid overpaying this season. Prices were extremely high, but it’s also evident that the Bruins may have needed more pieces to construct a true Cup contender than there were available on the market.