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Bruins trade Kobasew to the Minnesota Wild 10.18.09 at 8:40 pm ET
By Joe Haggerty

Following a deflating 3-4 start to the season, the Boston Bruins finally reacted to mediocrity on Sunday night and traded Chuck Kobasew to the Minnesota Wild for the rights to unsigned draft choice Alexander Fallstrom, forward Craig Weller and a 2011 second-round draft choice in a deal that also obviously loosens up room under the salary cap. Fallstrom began his freshman year at Harvard University this fall and Weller had played the first five games of this season for the AHL’s Houston Aeros.

Following the trade, the B’s placed Milan Lucic on long term injured reserve with a broken right index finger, and recalled Guillaume Lefebvre, Brad Marchand and Vladimir Sobotka from the Providence Bruins. Marchand had scored five goals in six games with the P-Bruins after impressing B’s officials during this fall’s abbreviated training camp. 

The deal was clearly done largely with the salary cap in mind as the Bruins were forced to head out on a two-game road trip through Dallas and Phoenix with the bare minimum 20 players. Once Lucic was hurt against the Stars, the B’s were forced to call Lefebvre up as an emergency forward and fly him the same day to Phoenix for a Saturday night game.

Clearing Kobasew’s $2.3 million off the books allows Chiarelli plenty of cap room to bring up extra bodies from Providence, and also allows B’s coach Claude Julien to introduce the bench to players that aren’t giving their full effort out on the ice. Kobasew had a single assist in seven games this season, and really hadn’t been much of a factor skating with Patrice Bergeron and Mark Recchi. 

There wasn’t much roster competition when the B’s couldn’t afford to carry any extra players on their active roster through the first handful of games, and now Julien has that tool in his coaching bag. A quick calculation of the money saved by trading Kobasew, placing Lucic on LTIR — for which he must sit for at least 10 games or nearly a month’s time — and calling up the minor leaguers: roughly $1.15 million.

 The hockey swap also clears Kobasew’s $2.3 million off the books for next season when the team has a number of players looking for new deals including Marc Savard, Blake Wheeler, Mark Stuart and Tuuka Rask. Minnesota’s second-round pick in 2011 adds to the bulging toy box of draft picks that Chiarelli and Co. have accumulated over the last two seasons, and gives Boston nine picks in the first two rounds over the next drafts.

 The draft picks give Chiarelli an abundance of bargaining chips once big-time scorers become available around the trade deadline. Boston is clearly in the best position to wheel and deal at the deadline, and now has even more bargaining power with another pick. Those expecting another trade shoe to drop in the next few weeks may be disappointed, however, as it’s likely that this is more along the lines of preparation for the March 3 trade deadline.

NESN.com’s James Murphy originally reported that the Bruins were talking trade with the Minnesota Wild on a deal that centered around Kobasew. Chiarelli was unavailable for comment on Sunday night, but planned to meet with the media at the Bruins practice facility in Wilmington on Monday morning.

Read More: Chuck Kobasew, Milan Lucic, Vladimir Sobotka, Print  |  Email   | Bark It Up!  |  Digg It
  • Miranda

    NOOOOOOO! I don’t like this.

  • JD

    Hated this when I first heard about it, but the cap is all-powerful.

    KOVALCHUK OR BUST!

    KOVALCHUK … OR … BUST!

  • Joe

    Would not have had to trade him if they had a clue 4 mill for Thomas LOL

  • Jesse

    I am not convinced this was a move to solely re-ignite the Bruins. There’s something to this trade, something far greater in the works. Maybe they are showcasing Sobotka and Marchand (IMO… Atlanta) to invite interest. Chiarelli acquired yet another draft pick in this deal (2nd pick 2011) he now has plenty of cards to play with and is looking to get creative in a “huge” deal.

    I will agree with *JD* on this one. If the assumed prize is not Kovalchuck then it’s a failed season in terms of trying to get an impact player to help you get to the top. You can’t keep getting bounced in the playoffs early, they need the Stanley Cup…period. This team is really good, lot’s of talent but not “great” thee need an “A+” caliber player and Ilya Kovachulk gives you that element.

    Either way, we have to hope the kids do alright and contribute.

  • http://weei.com christopher mehegan

    hello,hockey joe wow when i first saw the this just in headlines kobasew traded to the wild for craig weller alexander fallstrom and a pick in 2011 in next years draft now with the trade of kobasew to the wild it clears up about 2.3 million dollars of cap space money now will the bruins use that money on top of the draft picks they got in the deal for phil kessel will the bruins now be able to make the deal happen for ilya kovalchukfrom the thrashers.what do you think hockey joe

  • Miranda

    I agree with you Jesse – hopefully this means something big is coming – like Kovachulk! Still, I loved Kobasew. What do we have now, like 9 1st and 2nd round picks?

  • http://bigbadblog.weei.com Joe Haggerty

    I agree that the Bruins are in a position to make themselves the leader in the clubhouse should Kovalchuk become available, but they also needed to make a move for cap relief now. They couldn’t afford to bring extra players down to Dallas and Phoenix when they had no spare players! Doesn’t that tell you that the Bruins badly needed cap space?

    They also needed some extra bodies to create competition among the forwards, as Claude Julien had nothing he could threaten the players with if they weren’t giving out 100 percent. With a couple of more young forwards in the mix, the Bruins can do that now, while clearing about $1 million off the cap for this season and positioning themselves for a trade deadline deal.

    It makes sense in a lot of different ways, but they’ll the leadership and fearless style that Kobasew showed on the ice. The B’s have lost a lot of familiar faces since the beginning of the summer, and time will tell how much it costs them.

    –Haggs

  • Anguillaman

    It never ends…where is the rest of the HEADLINE …clearing caps space to make more $$$ for the ever cheap could care less about winning a cup owner. What a joke! They got a ton of cap space..spare me, what on earth do they need more space for…PLEEEEZEEEE…the new battle cry of the forever cheap Bruins…WE NEED TO CLEAR CAP SPACE…what a load of crap….just like the team they have now…no Axelson no Yell, no Kessel now Kobasew is history…it won’t end…they are in BRUINS MODE. Bruins…its about cheapness.

  • chckmo

    whis going to score the goals no kessel 36 goals no chuck 22 whos going to make up the goals savard cant do it all

  • Satch

    Derek Morris @ $3.3 Million. PC hamstrung this team with that transaction. A terrible signing. Boychuk is making 1/7th of that and producing more.

  • Ric

    I think the trade is as much about giving Marchand and Sobotka a chance as clearing cap space. Boston fans are going to love Marchand. He’s the type of player we haven’t seen in a few years. A high energy instigator who is going to get under the skin of the opponent. Always a great skater, he’s shown a lot of offensive improvement.

  • Anguillaman

    Let’s just drop the B from the team name..and call them what they are the RUINS! Seriously they whined all the way to getting a CAP and then they disasemble a near stanley cup winner…just so they can stuff more $$$ into the management/owners pockets…what a joke.

  • Miranda

    Anguillman – They are spending $$ – they’re up against the cap as are most clubs. The cheap days of Sinden are over. Credit the B’s for spending. It’s HOW they spend and shave off cap room that I sometimes disagree with.

  • Richard Tibbetts

    ^
    | Seriously?
    |

    The NHL isn’t your Daddy’s NHL anymore. The fans of the 70′s and 80′s can’t seem to let go of their pre-lockout mentality.

    The management of the Bruins just killed a lot of birds with one stone. And a rather unproductive stone at that in Kobasew. Besides clearing cap space and motivational factors, I am hoping a new linemate with a different skill set will improve Patrice Bergeron’s offensive game. After playing with PJ Axelsson for a year and more recently Kobasew, Bergeron hasn’t been blessed with the skilled, sniper-type wingers that Savard and Krejci have been accustomed to playing with.

  • Richard Tibbetts

    “Seriously” meant for Anguillman >.<

  • DallasDrake

    Rene Radford,

    Are you implying the B’s are too cheap to fly a player to the west coast, just in case a player was needed?

  • http://bigbadblog.weei.com Joe Haggerty

    The Bruins aren’t too cheap to fly somebody to the west coast. They needed to save the money under the cap, which is why they had no spare forwards on a team that should have at least one. Way too many players that are comfortable on this team right now, and that’s about to change.

    –Haggs

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