Just the mere mention of the phrase turns my stomach. Thinking about it gives me a migraine headache. Talking about it makes my skin crawl.
Last February, Peter Chiarelli, Cam Neely and the rest of the Bruins' braintrust sought to solve their power play problems by acquiring the old "puck moving defenseman". That man was Tomas Kaberle, a mid-season addition at the trade deadline who was supposed to "save the power play", a Herculean task indeed.
By now, we all know the story on Kaberle. The only "saving" came thanks to opposing goaltenders repeatedly stopping the Bruins' Pee Wee level attack. His indifference on defense and his lack of production doomed him from the start. Clearly it wasn't all Kaberle's fault but he had a big hand in the Bruins' historically bad power play in the playoffs.
The Bruins, perhaps in spite of Kaberle won the Stanley Cup and even though his minutes were diminished, fans specuated as to what his future would be in Black and Gold. Kaberle was an unrestricted free agent starting last Friday and I certainly didn't see any team matching his four million dollar salary from this past season, much less giving him a raise. I figured with a full training camp, a full year in Claude's system-and a reduced contract-Kaberle could flourish in Boston.
Then along came Carolina. In tune with this offseason's fad of ridiculously overpaying for average talent, the Hurricanes threw a three year, $4.75 million deal at Kaberle. Much like Dallas' offer to Michael Ryder on Friday, this was an offer that the Bruins simply were not going to match. But hey, good for Kaberle. He got his ring, underperformed in his time here and got a raise. Only in America?
The Bruins immediately filled the empty roster spit vacated by Kaberle's departure later on in the afternoon, announcing a trade for Carolina defenseman Joe Corvo. A nine-year veteran, Corvo is most known for his time with the Hurricanes, although there was a brief 18-game stretch where he skated with the Capitals in 2009-10. Corvo was part of the Hurricanes top defensive pairing in 2008-09, when the Canes beat the Bruins in 7 games in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Corvo came with a modest price tag, as the Bruins gave up only a 2012 fourth-round draft pick. He's coming off of a great season as he tied a career-high in points with 40, while scoring 11 goals. Corvo's contract is up after this year so he is in a trial period much like the recently signed Benoit Pouliot.
Corvo will most likely earn a spot on the roster but will have to compete for the sixth D position in camp, as other candidates include Steven Kampfer and Matt Bartkowski. Because the Bruins gave up so little to get him and the fact that he is a UFA after this year, his role on the team is not necessarily set in stone. I won't go so far as calling Corvo an "upgrade" over Kaberle, but I think Corvo can contribute some good things to this club.
As free agency keeps rolling, I am wondering if this is simply a move to shore up the blueline or is Chiarelli up to something bigger?
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