October 18, 2011; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman
Matt Bartkowski(43) tries to keep the puck from Carolina Hurricanes forward
Anthony Stewart(13) during the first period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Michael Ivins-USA TODAY Sports
The Bruins announced today that Johnny Boychuk left practice with an undisclosed injury today, and that they have recalled defenseman Matt Bartkowski on an emergency basis. This can not be ideal.
With Johnny Manchuk out now and Bartkowski in, one has to believe that Peter Chiarelli will make a move soon. This team can not go down the stretch with Jordan Caron, Jay Pandolfo, Aaron Johnson, and Bartkowski getting regular shifts. If they do, there will be more calls for Chiarelli’s head than there were after “The Series Which Shall Not Be Spoken Of” in 2010. And I would agree, Chiarelli would deserve every bit of criticism he would get if he sat back and didn’t make any moves to bolster the lineup, because even without injuries, this team is not a Stanley Cup Contender.
Once again, this is where I insist the Bruins go out and acquire Ladislav Smid in Edmonton. While many say he would only cost a second round pick or a second tier prospect, one has to consider how valuable Smid is to Edmonton. He leads the team in hits and blocked shots, as I David Krejci Is Day To Day, But That Shouldn’t Stop The Bruins From Making A Deal” href=”https://causewaycrowd.com/2013/03/18/david-krejci-is-day-to-day-but-that-shouldnt-stop-the-bruins-from-making-a-deal/”>already showed, and could very well be a priority for the Oilers to resign at season’s end. It’s very likely a team would have to surrender either a high second round pick, a low first round pick, or a pretty good prospect. It isn’t outrageous to believe that the Bruins, stocked with young talent in the farm, could surrender a first round draft pick, is it? Of course not.
The question is, though, would they? Would they really pay that ind of price to bolster both their forward and defensive corps, both being decimated by injuries? One would hope. But, a hope is far from a guarantee with Peter Chiarelli, who does not like to part with draft picks or young talent he believes has high upside for players who can help you win now.
At the end of the day, fans can only hope they see some sort of trade to give them a sign that Hockey Operations sees the same issues we all do. That’s the problem, though. We are just fans (or writers, in the case of the media), and we can’t control what this team does going forward.