Jun 11, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Boston Bruins head coach Claude Julien (right) , general manager Peter Chiarelli (middle) and president Cam Neely are interviewed during media day in preparation for game one of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Expect some surprises out of the Boston Bruins on day one of the 2013 NHL Draft today. The Bruins lost their only first round draft pick to the Dallas Stars in order to acquire hockey legend Jaromir Jagr. While Jagr still showed phenomenal puck management skills, his lack of offense was one of the reasons why the Bruins fell to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli may be sniffing around in order to get a first round draft pick back.
“I think any GM who went into the draft without a first-round would have to do that,” said Chiarelli when asked about his desire to regain a first round draft pick. “So — of course I would. Yes.”
“That is always is the overriding thought and objective,” he said. “When you get into the nitty-gritty of who’s at 10 or 11 and why, you’ve got to look to need a little bit. But the overriding tiebreaker and the overriding mentality is best player available.”
Early rumors were abuzz over social media networks that Tyler Seguin may be shopped around by Chiarelli in order to get a first round pick. This rumor led to a lot of speculation amongst hockey analysts, and a lot of confused and sad tweets by many young women. (Some of them whose hockey knowledge can be considered ‘questionable’ at best.)
Even with losing forward Nathan Horton and defenseman Andrew Ference due to cap restraints and free agency, the Bruins are still a pretty solid team. Two years ago, the Bruins first round draft pick was Dougie Hamilton (he was ninth overall). Hamilton had a solid rookie season, but was sidelined a majority of the playoffs as a healthy scratch. Since the Bruins have at least one pick in every other round, they may attempt to continue looking for d-men to beef up their roster down the line.
If that’s the case, they may want to take a look at the Halifax Mooseheads. Konrad Abeltshauser is a 6’5″, 225lb blueliner from Germany. He put up fifty-four points in fifty-six games last season, and had a plus/minus of +35. He was one of the reasons why the Mooseheads won the 2013 Memorial Cup. With a lot of the focus of the draft being aimed at fellow Halifax player Nathan MacKinnon, the Bruins could likely acquire him in the second or later rounds.
The NHL Draft will be on live at 3pm EST on the NHL Network. It should be interesting to see what Boston will do.