Building the B's

The Bruins are having a great season which got me to thinking about what it took to assemble such a great team, from the draft to trades to free agency. This one isn't about performance (that's coming next week) but I do hint at the long term outlook for this team (which I will also delve further into next week).

Marc Savard: Signed as a free agent. Savard has given the Bruins their moneys worth since signing with them in July of 2006. Though he was -19 his first season while scoring 96 points he has worked hard to become a very good all around player and not just a passer on offense. Savard will be a free agent after next season and it will be interesting to see if he stays. He will only be 33 but you know he will be offered big money from other teams.

David Krejci: Drafted in the second rd. Krejci has played great this season and has really started to make a name for himself. It seems as though when anyone is struggling Claude just throws them on the Krejci line and they go off. Krejci is a restricted free agent after this season but I expect the Bruins to be able to workout a new deal for him.

Phil Kessel: Drafted in the first rd. The Bruins lucked out with Kessel falling to them at #5. There was talk that Kessel was just as good as Sidney Crosby, but then he went on to score only 18 goals at the University of Minnesota and also had a reputation as a bad teammate. Struggling during the combine he eventually fell into the Bruins laps. Although I don't think the other four teams that passed on him are too upset - the Blues took Erik Johnson #1 and though injuries have slowed him down he is still young and full of potential. The next three picks were Jordan Staal, Jonathan Toews, and Nicklas Backstrom (not the goalie). That is a really good top of the draft. Kessel is also a restricted free agent after this season and the B's will look to lock him up for a few more years but it won't be easy to sign him and Krejci while staying under the cap, look for some players to be moved (i.e. Patrice Bergeron) to free up some space.

Michael Ryder: Signed as a free agent. Ryder has already passed his last year totals in goals and points. Thanks to getting switched to Krejci's line, Ryder has regained the scoring touch he had with Montreal.

Dennis Wideman: Traded from St. Louis for Brad Boyes. I know Boyes has played great with the Blues but I still love this trade. The Bruins didn't need another young center they needed a young defenseman and that's what they got with Wideman - one could make a case that he's the best defenseman on the B's. Wideman will be here a while as he is signed thru 2012.

Blake Wheeler: Signed as a free agent. Wheeler was drafted fifth overall by the Coyotes but elected to play at the University of Minnesota. When he decided to forgo his senior year the Coyotes had 30 days to come to an agreement but could not. This led to Wheeler becoming a free agent and the Bruins were happy to sign this future star for under 1 million dollars a year.

Zdeno Chara: Signed as a free agent. Along with Marc Savard, he was the Bruins' big signing after the 05-06 season. I know Chara can be frustrating to watch sometimes, and he is the highest paid player on the team, but he is still a solid defenseman who also adds some scoring to the mix.

Milan Lucic: Drafted in second rd. The Bruins were able to draft Lucic in the second round thanks to the pick they got from the Oilers in the Sergei Samsonov trade. I know people weren't too happy letting Sergei go, but he was going to be a free agent at the end of year so the Bruins did the right thing by getting Marty Reasoner and Yan Stastny plus the pick. It's worked out well for the B's.

Chuck Kobasew: Traded from the Flames along with Andrew Ference for Wayne Primeau and Brad Stuart. This trade worked out good for the Bruins as Kobasew was quietly second in goals for the B's last season.

Patrice Bergeron: Drafted in second rd. I think Bergeron could be traded to free up some cap space. No knock on Patrice, as he is still only 23, but he still has 11 million left on his contract so I wouldn't be suprised that if he remains healthy over the next few weeks he is dealt around the deadline.

Tim Thomas: Signed as a free agent. The strike was the best thing to happen for Thomas as he spent that season playing in Finland and played really well going 34-14. I'm still amazed that at 31 he all of the sudden becomes good. I know in the last week or so we have heard some Savard for MVP talks (as well you should) but you could also make a case for Timmy.

In assembling the main core of the Bruins they didn't just build through the draft or go out and sign a bunch of free agents like the Rangers. The B's did it a little bit of everything from big signings (Savard and Chara), to drafting well (Kessel, Lucic, and Krejci), and making good trades (Wideman, and Kobasew). Now that they have built this team into a champion contender the question is can they keep this team together? More on that next week.

Superbowl blog tomorrow.