Interesting blog on Blake Wheeler

Check out this blog post from Gerry Bourdeau on Blake going to the Bruins. I have to admit that has a Briuns fan I am not as excited about this pick up as other Bruins fans. I guess I have seen the kid play in college and he just didn't stick out as being the type of player worthy of a first round draft choice. Just for the record I felt that Kyle Okposso was worthy of a first round pick.

According to the Boston Globe (and this site), the Boston Bruins have agreed to terms with Blake Wheeler, a solid power-forward prospect with lots of size, skating ability and an interesting name which lends itself out nicely to puns. Wheel we see him in the NHL next year? There are no guarantees of that, but Bruin fans have to be happy about getting this 6’4”, 5th overall draftee (selected by Phoenix in 2004) who turns 22 in August. The best thing about this, other than the possibility that I’ll get to call someone a wheelman in this blog next year, is that it cost the Bruins nothing player-wise to acquire this young talent. Low risk and high reward: how can you go wrong with that? You can’t, is what I’m trying to say, in case you didn’t piece that together.

In any case, the Bruins must wait until July 1 to officially sign Flex Wheeler (look at that, a weight lifting reference – and you thought all I could do was sci-fi) even though he does not have a previous contract. In case Blake Wheeler has second thoughts about joining the Bruins, I would like to remind him that the number 18 appears to be free. This should be enticing for several reasons. Firstly, it is the inverse of fellow ex-Gopher, Phi Kessel’s number. Secondly, and more importantly, it could give him a cool nickname like “18 Wheeler” or even “Big Rig” and he could use that in all kinds of situations, even away from the rink.

Peter Chiarelli said he wanted to improve the forward core of this team by getting some bigger players. With Carl Soderberg agreeing to come over to North America next season, the acquisition of Matt Marquardt, and now this acquisition, it would seem Peter Chiarelli is well on the way to achieving his goal.