Thanks for coming out, Kovalchuk. Absolutely blown away by this one, even with all those rumours that he might stay in Russia after the lockout. The Devils have to replace a guy that can log 25-30 minutes a night effortlessly if he needs to (as a friggen' forward, by the way) with no draft (along with no first pick next year because of Kovalchuk) and a picked over free agent market. Good luck.
It'll be interesting to see Jones on the Preds. Absolutely massive steal IMO. I get why they want to pair him with Weber but I don't know about bringing an 18 year old in on his off-side.
Just a few comments about the millions of moves the Bruins did... I thought this offseason in general has been a stroke of genius by Chiarelli. The Bruins could have been in a situation similar to what the Hawks went through in 2010 (not as severe, but they could have been gouged without getting much back in return). Instead Chia made a bunch of savvy moves that, when all is said and done, could make the Bruins a better team next year than they were last year. Obviously that all depends on chemistry, but I'm confident all the new-look lines can get something going.
Seguin trade: I like it overall. Maybe they could have gotten a bit more value out of it, but I think Eriksson makes them the better team in the short-term, which should be a huge focus of the team with the type of team they have right now. I could not think of a better winger to put on the Bruins other than maybe Marian Hossa. He's a two-way force that plays a very cerebral game and should fit like a glove on the Marchand-Bergeron line. If Marchand-Bergeron-Seguin was arguably the best two-way line in the NHL with Seguin being a defensive liability at times, just wait until you see one of the best two-way wingers in the NHL alongside Bergeron. I cannot wait to see these guys in action.
Seguin is going to be a terrific player but he really didn't mesh with the Bruins style of game. The Bruins identity is that you either have to be great defensively, strong on the puck, and/or tough as nails. He was really the only guy on the team that didn't fit that mold. I think the Bruins may have held him back a bit, and he may have held the Bruins back a bit as well. It just wasn't a good fit. You could just tell his confidence was shattered this year, and his entire game was affected because of that. He's going to be able to roam free in Dallas and he'll be much better off for it. I could care less about all the rumours about him being an off-ice issue.
Losing Peverley hurts, but not if he plays like he did last year. He's one of the most versatile guys in the league when he's on his game. The third line wing spot is one of the biggest question marks for the Bruins. It'll be nice to have some competition for it and I hope one of the kids in the Dallas trade takes it (Smith looks like a likely candidate at this point). Morrow is also a nice get. It never hurts to have some good puck-moving defensemen in the system, as this year's playoffs showed.
Iginla signing: LOL. As crazy as this seemed, it was a perfect fit all along. If you put the tape on Horton and Iginla, it's tough to tell that they aren't the same player. Iggy wants a Cup and Boston is as good of a place as any to get it done. Once they get the chemistry going, I really think the production and play from this new line will be similar to if not better than the Lucic-Krejci-Horton line. Absolute perfect short-term replacement and a great move on the cap as well with it being incentive-laden.
Not a fan of the Rask contract but it was one of those things that had to be done. Rask and his agent literally had all the power in those contract talks when you consider how Rask has taken cap-friendly deals his entire career, never complained when he was stuck behind Thomas, and has been a consistent money goaltender when called upon, particularly this year. Still, the guy has never played more than 50 regular season games in a single season and goalies are known for being inconsistent. 8 years is a loooooong time. He's not going to be worth $7 million year in and year out, I can pretty much guarantee you that. No proven back-up this year (although Khudobin wasn't exactly proven last year either), so there's a ton of pressure on him.
Bergeron contract is fantastic. People might point to injury concerns, but he's a very smart player and knows to not put himself in dangerous situations regarding head injuries. Yeah, he's still had some the past few years, but they looked like freak injuries. If there's one player in the league that you know what you're going to get from him every single year, every single game, and even every single shift, it's this guy.
Losing Ference sucks but when you have three young guys that clock in at a very reasonable cap hit and have proven themselves somewhat in this league, you have to use them.
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