B's Deal Ward, pickup Eaves

The Globe has confirmed the B's have dealt Aaron Ward in favor or Patrick Eaves & a draft pick.

This is certainly a salary dump and gives the B's some options for Kessel & beefing up their defense.

Versus or ESPN?

Slowly but surely, the debate has begun amongst hockey enthusiasts and bloggers as to whether the game should remain on Versus or switch over to ESPN in the coming years. The rumors began after the NHL extended their contract with NBC for another 2 years, which brings them to the end of the 2010-2011 season. Coincidentally, after the 2010-2011 season ends, so does the NHL's contract with Versus. Gary Bettman was able to land the NHL a monster deal before the lockout (remember the glowing puck on Fox?) and may be lining the league up for a move to ESPN/ABC after the current contract expires. The question, would a move to ESPN be good for the game? Ratings and attendance are up throughout the game, and a portion of the credit needs to go to Versus who broadcast games throughout the regular season by making hockey the networks number one priority, and in addition provided a multitude of playoff games throughout the postseason. The one knock on Versus - not every cable provider offers the channel; so a hockey fan in a suburb of Los Angeles is forced to listen to Ducks playoff games on the radio as they're unable to see them on TV. Would the jump to ESPN garner more viewers? Obviously, but you do have to wonder about the amount of coverage the NHL would get on such a network. Former ESPN anchor, and current Bruins play-by-play man Jack Edwards offers his two thoughts on the matter in a recent interview with Steve Lepore;

I’m not a hero, I’m just telling you the facts. I mean, that’s what it is and you know, this whole idea that hockey will do better if you put it back on ESPN is a delusion. It is completely delusionary. It’s more convenient, certainly. But it’s not going to be better for the sport, because it’s going to be behind golf, it’s going to be behind women’s basketball and, you know, I’m not dissing those sports.
But what I am saying is, if it were my place, if it were my call, I know where the passion is, and I’d rather have 1% of the audience is totally nuts about the sport, than I’m just gonna’ watch it because it’s on. But the people who make the decisions in the accounting department, who see the ratings numbers, are going to go purely on the number. The context of what it means to people has nothing to do with their judgment, and their actions speak much more loudly than their lip service on that.

So at the end of the day, is the jump to ESPN/ABC one that the NHL should consider after the current contract expires. With players like Ovechkin, Crosby and Zetterberg, the game hasn't been this marketable since Mario Lemieux came into the league. With more viewers and exposure, the game could grow to new levels and potentially lead to an increase in revenue as well as the salary cap. Versus does have it's limitations, however no other network was willing to give the game a chance after the lockout, and making hockey their number one priority is something that ESPN would be unable to do under any circumstances. What's the best way for hockey fans to continue to appreciate their game? Remaining with Versus or jumping ship to ESPN?

Zubov still an asset?

Most recent reports say nine teams, including the B's, are expressing interest in Sergei Zubov. Zubov is about to turn 39, has played in only 56 games in the past two seasons (10 in '08-'09), and had hernia/hip surgery.

On the other hand, he is only several years removed from the '05-'06 & '06-'07 seasons when he played 78 games in both years and scored 71 & 54 pts respectively. Even in '07-'08, before falling to injury, he had 35pts in 46 games.

So, do you take a risk on Zubov? How much would he sign for? His cap hit the last several years was $5.35m, so maybe something in the $2-3m range might happen.

Given the declining Kessel talk, it seems PC might think he has enough offense without the one way goal scoring Kessel.

One of the all time best smooth skating, puck carrying defensemen might not look too bad in a spoked 'B'.

A healthy Zubov could really help the B's break out, setup into the offensive zone, and captaining of the PP.

Sturm announces he's staying in Beantown

Marco Sturm was asked during the Winter Classic ceremony at Fenway Park if he had been approached by the B's to waive his no trade clause. See below:

"I have heard there are rumors, but no I haven’t (been asked to waive my no-trade). Obviously we’re pretty tight against the cap and we still have two people to sign," said Sturm. "So obviously one of them on the team has to leave, but it’s part of the game. It doesn’t matter who it is. It’s just the way it is."
Does Sturm envision any scenario where he would waive his no-trade clause if the Bruins approached him with a trade in place?
"No. I’m planning to stay here," said Sturm, who can now be crossed off the list as a potential trade chip to make cap space this summer. "I still have two more years (on my contract). I definitely love it here on and off the ice."
- Excerpt from WEEI's Big Bad Blog

So it looks like Sturm is staying - Somebody has to be moved if the B's are to sign Kessel and Hunwick, I'm betting we say goodbye to Kobasew

GM Chiarelli confirms Kessel will be back....

This is from an interview PC did with NESN -

"Yes, yes he will [be back]," Chiarelli said. "I don’t like to talk about negotiations, but he’s a player of impact. [He has] the speed, and he’s still a young player."I can’t dismiss me talking about players to trade because that’s my job. It’s unfortunate that [trade rumors] leak out but Phil’s a good person — a very good person and a very good player — and we fully intend to keep him."


Dan & Yanick - I totally agree with your earlier comments from my Kessel post, but it looks like Chiarelli sees something different here.

I guess the Bruins might get him at a discount sincce no NHL team was willing to send over and offer sheet and give up that kind of money and the draft picks.

Some questions then?

How much will he sign for?
Who do the B's get rid of for additional cap space?
What will happen with Hunwick? (he has arbitration set for July 24th)

Should we sign Phil Kessel? Give me a good reason to.....

There have been many good points about Kessel, he's a good player and with the right people around him, he'll continue to develop. But looking forward at our cap versus his production, should we?
Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe analyzed Kessel's goals over the past several seasons. Overall theme was that :.

1. he scored more goals per game in the 1st half of the season
2. scored majority of those goals against non-playoff teams

And we all remember his performance in last year's playoffs, enough said.

However, another thing to consider is that Tukka Rask, Blake Wheeler, Milan Lucic all come up for RFA in 2010-2011, a year that many NHL people are saying the cap will actually decrease.
The regular season was promising, but we see what happened in the playoffs, so there are clearly holes to fill. It is easy to say sign Kessel at $4.25 per, or trade for a puck carrying defenseman, which might cost you around Kessel money too.
But I think it might be best for Chiarelli to sit back, wait out the market, and see where guys are getting signed. There could be some good guys out there at a discount, but that might patch a whole for a year or two. Would it be better to wait it out a year and make sure we sign the guys we need to - Rask/Lucic, maybe Wheeler next year?
I'm torn with the Kessel thing (much like his rotator cuff) - so give me some arguments that support keeping him or letting him go and grabbing some cap space and draft picks.