Boston Bruins: Acquired F Mark Recchi and a 2010 second-round pick from Tampa for D Matt Lashoff and F Martins Karsums; Traded F Petteri Nokelainen to Anaheim for D Steve Montador.
After swinging for the fences with Marian Hossa last year (and missing the ball), GM Peter Chiarelli managed like a man with a first-place team yesterday. Recchi's career resurgence now gives him a chance for a Cup, and there's no way that isn't going to energize him even more. Montador is another player already having an outstanding season, and a rather perfect fit for what the Boston blue line needed. Boston sniffed around some high-end deals (like one for Keith Tkachuk), but were unwilling to move a major asset like Phil Kessel. Maybe Lashoff becomes a top-pairing defenseman, and maybe Nokelainen finds his game with the Ducks; it won't matter if Recchi and Montador win a Cup for Beantown. GRADE: A-.
Now! Compare and contrast the two organizations. The Boston Bruins are in the playoffs will probably get the number one seed in the east unless they really fall apart. They also added more high end talent at the dead line for the playoff run. The Boston organization had players in their organization they could use to bargain with and make trades if they need to. Minnesota on the other hand is in a state of disarray. They are barely alive for the eighth and final playoff spot. I don't see a way the Minnesota Wild can manage to make the playoffs this season.
Minnesota also has nothing as far as prospects in their minor league system they can offer to other teams. Minnesota is team made of third liners and has a shortage of talent that can score goals and make plays. Yet they want to hold on to players like James Sheppard who show no sign of ever scoring goals this season or even in this life time. Like Archie said in a previous blog post that Doug Risebrough as managed to screw up two teams in a matter of a decade and smugly sat by and did nothing to better his team. Doug Risebrough should have gotten an F- and for his efforts should be shown the door.
The thing that is also a major head scratcher is that there are no players on the Wild roster that have been division one college hockey players. I want to know how Doug Risebrough can reside in a state with five division one hockey teams and not end up with one player that isn't a former college hockey player. You also have Wisconsin and North Dakota in neighboring states. Boston on the other hand has a roster stuff with former college players; Tim Thomas (Vermont), Phil Kessel and Blake Wheeler (Minnesota), Mark Stuart (Colorado College), Byron Bitz (Cornell), Matt Hunwick and Aaron Ward (Michigan), Chuck Kobasew (Boston College).
Minnesota Wild: Nada. While the team did ink goalie Niklas Backstrom to an extension before the deadline, it did jack and squat otherwise. Pending UFAs Marc-Andre Bergeron and Martin Skoula didn't move. The asking price for Marian Gaborik was too high, so he becomes a de facto deadline move when he rejoins the Wild lineup soon. While he deserves credit for not overpaying for, say, Olli Jokinen, General Manager Doug Risebrough was taken apart by The State of Hockey for his inactivity at the deadline. GRADE: C-.
