Welcome to Boston Max Talbot, Paul Carey and Zack Phillips
Jan 27, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Maxime Talbot (25) skates in warm-ups prior to the game against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. The Avalanche defeated the Stars 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
“He’s a glue guy, he has played in a lot of playoffs, plays all three positions. He’s a gritty guy and plays all out. We believe he is a good add to our forward group.” Peter Chiarelli on Max Talbot
The trade deadline is always an exciting time for us hockey fans as we anxiously await the heartbreaking departures or anticipated arrivals of our beloved players. While the Boston Bruins needed to really shake things up and make some big changes in order to start pushing the team in the right direction, it seems as though Peter Chiarelli has opted to stay minimal and trade forward Jordan Caron to the Colorado Avalanche for forward Max Talbot.
Since the news broke around 3:00-3:30 this afternoon, there have been some mixed feelings regarding the new acquisition. Some believe that Talbot is comparable to Caron and that the Boston Bruins didn’t gain anything other than more money against the salary cap. However, the Colorado Avalanche are retaining half of Talbot’s salary, making the deal a little better than what the initial thought was in taking on a player with $1.8million for two years as opposed to Caron’s $600,000. So what exactly did the Bruins gain from this?
They gained another veteran forward who has playoff experience. He is a gritty player with the same amount of agitation as Brad Marchand and tenacity that was shown from Shawn Thornton. He’s not a top points player (owning five goals and 10 assists on the season), but he brings fight, commitment and determination to every game that he sets foot on the ice. Not to mention, he scored two goals in the Game 7 Penguins Stanley Cup victory in 2008-2008 against the Detroit Red Wings which was pretty cool to watch.
Taking a look at Paul Carey it’s a name that likely has you looking like a dog when you whistle, with your head cocked to one side wondering who is this guy? Carey, 26, has played in 22 games for the Avalanche, ten of them during this season and a total of 171 AHL games with the Lake Erie Monsters. Through his NHL stint, he has posted an assist.
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Carey is a Boston College native and natural left winger. According to Hockey’s Future talent analysis Carey is;
"A slick stick-handler and offense-oriented forward at the junior and college levels, Carey has transformed his game to that of a two-way forward during his pro career. With the skating ability to play in all situations and versatility to play either wing or center, he is a valuable player to have in the lineup. His lack of stature and strength sometimes causes him match up problems at the NHL level."
In a separate trade, the Bruins exchanged Jared Knight for center Zack Phillips, yes that’s right, we acquired ANOTHER center. While this is really just a minor league trade, he could potentially bring something to the table for Boston eventually. Phillips, according to HF is;
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Puck Prose
"A cerebral offensive forward, Phillips was primarily a playmaker at the junior level who could also score goals. He displayed great on ice vision and loads of hockey sense with the ability to anticipate the play. Playing against better skating and more skilled players at the pro level he has not had that same offensive success. At the same time he is only average-sized and not particularly physical and his mobility is a liability at times — which limits his ability to play a defensive, checking role."
Personal win on this one, if Phillips should see some substantial time in Boston, I’ll be able to get a shirt with my last name on it. That counts as a win, right?
All in all, the Bruins didn’t do GREAT things to make us jump out of our seats like July of 2013, but at least they added a couple pieces to do SOMETHING.