The Boston Bruins and general manager Peter Chiarelli's desire to enact a trade or two has been well documented to this point - it almost seems like a foregone conclusion around the NHL that something involving the Black and Gold will happen eventually.
But that keen desire to deal has apparently transformed from something along the lines of eagerness into full blown desperation, according to TSN Insider Darren Dreger.
Dreger, while appearing on a recent episode of Vancouver's TSN 1040, as transcribed by NicholsOnHockey.com, said that there is no team in the NHL more desperate at the moment to make a deal, pointing to a couple of injured Bruins stars as a partial reason.
"Boston really felt the loss of David Krejci and obviously Zdeno Chara was a huge hole they had to fill early," said Dreger.
But it wasn't just the early season injuries to Krejci and Chara that have left Boston reeling. It was, according to Dreger, the now seemingly ill-fated trade that sent defenseman Johnny Boychuk to the New York Islanders.
"And the Johnny Boychuk trade, I think now, was ill-timed. If you want to be critical of Pete Chiarelli, and it's hard, given what that organization has accomplished over the years. Johnny Boychuk was a big piece," Dreger said.
The 30-year-old defenseman was flipped to New York in October in exchange for three draft picks - a second and conditional third in 2015 and another second in 2016. Boychuk seemed to be a cap casualty for the Bruins - the pending unrestricted free agents cap hit is $3.366 million.
Boychuk, a former second-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche who spent six seasons with Boston, seemed replaceable due to the deep pool of talented young defensemen the Bruins currently boast, but he was also an integral piece on the back end and played an important role in Boston's 2011 Stanley Cup winning campaign.
Perhaps his importance to the team's success was underestimated by Chiarelli. Or perhaps Chiarelli is willing to accept the growing pains that come along with playing so many talented, but still quite young, blueliners.
Boychuk now has three goals and 12 assists and is averaging just over 22 on ice minutes per game this season for a red-hot, ascending Islanders squad.
"So I know Chiarelli is working the phones. He's trying. But they're a cap team and when injury bites and you create bigger holes in your lineup by moving a player like Johnny Boychuk, maybe this team has been slow to try and react," said Dreger.
"So I think desperation is a word that should be attached to the Boston Bruins."
