Everyone in town knows how that whole trade with San Jose worked out, and I will not re-hash that debacle in this space. Mainly because I will get angry and pass out, possibly breaking my 4 year old laptop in the process ... and I need this little f_cker to keep working for a while. I had the power to change things once, too. I rode an elevator at the Garden with Mike O'Connell when I worked for NESN - if only I had acted then, we might still have Jumbo Joe.
My failure to assassinate Mike O'Connell aside, I would like to point out a move that the Bruins current GM Peter Chiarelli might want back. No one is perfect, but perhaps you've heard of this Kris Versteeg fellow over in Chicago? Of course you have - you're thinking:
Your Brain: Say, that chap used to be on the Providence Bruins and now he's right there with Kane, Toews, and the Blackhawks youth movement. Sh*t, he's leading all Rookies in scoring. That guy is awesome - we must have gotten something pretty sweet for him, right?
Reality: You got Brandon Bochenski.
Your Brain: (Whacks you in the nuts with a car antenna to distract itself from the pain)
Yep. Brandon Bochenski. Where is he, you might ask? He's technically on Tampa Bay - though he hasn't played a game this season. Now you're thinking:
Your Brain: Wait a second, I remember him playing pretty well, right? I'm sure he had a decent game here and there. Right?Yep, he totally sucked. Did I mention Versteeg is a left wing? HA! Not like we could use one of them!!
Reality: He was 0-6-6.
Your Brain: F*ck me.
So what's my point? Well I don't really have one I guess. Just wanted to make you think for a second. Who are you kidding - you're reading this to distract yourself from your job.
Quick, Alt-tab back to your email and look busy you slacker.
Consider this...
ReplyDeleteBruins don't pull the 3 dimes for a quarter trade, leaving them with their young captian and first line center. That means no Marc Savard. Bruins also have more money tied up in contracts so it likely means there are no funds to bring in Zdeno Chara.
So which would you prefer? Thornton and some other pieces around him? Or Chara, Savard, Kobasew (20+ last year), Sturm (20+ every year) and Ference (3rd D)? Personally, I will take the latter...
Wayne Premeau is worth a dime? Ha! Maybe a wooden nickel.
ReplyDeleteBut, in all fairness, you have a point - no one can say what would or would not have happened if Joe had been here and re-signed. Lots of moving pieces and it would be a safe bet that Savard, Chara, or possibly both would not be on the team. Although I don't think Marco will hit that 20 goal mark this year ...
Lucky for us it all looks good right now given how the team shaped up - but that trade was abysmal at the time.
Never mind cap issues, if Thornton hadn't been traded there would've been no rebuild. I bet we'd still have Marty Lapointe and Glen Murray.
ReplyDelete