Breathe easy, Bruins fans.
It seems your beloved power forward, Milan Lucic, is staying put.
TSN Insider Darren Dreger appeared on an episode of Montreal's TSN 690 Tuesday morning and, according to the transcription from NicholsOnHockey.com, said that while Boston GM Peter Chiarelli has in fact kicked many tires and knocked on many doors seeking a trade to jumpstart the ailing franchise, won't be attempting to move Lucic anytime soon.
"Well, he's not going to be traded," Dreger said. "Pete Chiarelli told me that bluntly yesterday on the phone.
"The Boston Bruins organization, this is a proud club. They know that they're better than what their record indicates. They know that Milan Lucic can play better. Their top players need to play better for them to climb back into a place they're comfortable with and that's near the top of the Eastern Conference."
Lucic certainly hasn't been the only Bruins player performing well below expectation this season, but with six goals and 12 assists in 39 games and the proud franchise mired in the middle of the pack in the Atlantic, he's become something of a poster child for the issues currently permeating Boston's talented roster.
Injuries cost Zdeno Chara and David Krejci a large number of games in the early portion of the season and neither player has exactly lit the world on fire upon their return to the ice. Goalie Tuukka Rask (.911 SV percentage and 2.54 GAA) hasn't been his normal otherworldly self and the defense, though it has seen the rise of a number of talented young players like Torey Krug, Dougie Hamilton, Matt Bartkowski and David Warsofsky, hasn't performed quite up to snuff.
Enter Chiarelli.
While he may not be moving Lucic, he's still kicking those tires and knocking on doors and, according to Dreger, still has his sights set firmly on the desert for adding an important piece.
"So he's kicking tires, and has been for several weeks now. I mean, Chiarelli has talked to just about everyone," said Dreger.
"His primary focus, I believe, has been on Antoine Vermette in Arizona."
There are any number of avenues Chiarelli could go down to improve the team, but Vermette, who plays a strong, gritty two-way game, is a faceoff maven and does all the little things necessary to win, seems like he'd be a perfect fit in Boston.
His cap number ($3.75 million) and the Bruins' current space ($1.775 million) is out of whack so something would have to give for a trade to be consummated - a difficult prospect considering the Coyotes and GM Don Maloney are on the verge of a rebuild and may not be seeking an NHL player, only picks and prospects, in return.
But, no matter what Chiarelli decides to do, it has to be a relief for Bruins fans to hear that the big, bad Lucic, seemingly born to wear the Black and Gold, isn't going anywhere.
