Wheeling and Dealing

The Bruins finally got their man on Friday, acquiring defenseman Tomas Kaberle from Toronto in exchange for Joe Colborne, a first round pick in 2011 and a conditional second rounder in 2012. 

After making two big trades on Friday, GM Peter Chiarelli made one thing loud and clear to Bruins fans during his press conference: "We want to win and we want to be successful."

Infusing the fan base with hope and excitement, Chiarelli was finally able to land the one defenseman that he has so desperately coveted for years: Tomas Kaberle. However, the price was steep for the four time All-Star. In exchange for the 32-year-old, smooth skating Maple Leaf defenseman, the Bruins sacrificed a large chunk of the future, giving up 21-year-old Joe Colborne (chosen by Boston 16th overall in the 2008 Draft), as well as a first round pick in 2011 and a conditional second round pick in 2012. 

"We felt we needed a player like Tomas," Chiarelli explained after the trade. "He has good vision. He's a good skater. He can quarterback the power play...It's a strong message to our team." 

In Kaberle, the Bruins finally fill the void left by the departure of Dennis Wideman: a puck-moving defenseman with a gifted offensive game that can do some serious damage on the power play. At the time of the trade, Kaberle, a native of Rakovnik, Czechoslovakia, had scored 520 points (83 goals, 437 assists) over twelve seasons in Toronto, making him the second-highest scoring defenseman in team history behind only Borje Salming. He also represented the Czech Republic in three different Olympic Games. 

In 58 games for Toronto this season, Kaberle has 3 goals and 35 assists (22 of which have come on the power play) while also averaging a robust 22:28 of ice time. His best season came in 2005-06 when he scored 67 points (9 goals, 58 assists). Kaberle is expected to replace Mark Recchi on the Bruins' number one power-play unit and set up Zdeno Chara for blistering one-timers like he used to with Bryan McCabe in Toronto for so many years. 

However, in order to acquire Kaberle and absorb the remainder of his $4.25 million cap hit, the Bruins had to shed some payroll. As a result, they shipped Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart to Atlanta for center Rich Peverley and defenseman Boris Valabik. While the 25-year-old Valabik was chosen 10th overall by the Thrashers in 2004 and stands at a towering 6'7'', weighing 255 lbs, he has yet to put his game together and consistently contribute at the NHL level. As a result, he was immediately assigned to Providence. 

However, Peverley could really help the Bruins. He's a 28-year-old center with some above average offensive skills. Up until the trade, Peverley was one of the Thrashers leading scorers, posting 14 goals and 20 assists in 59 games. Last year, Peverley scored a career-high 22 goals and added 33 assists. He's also more than just a rental. Peverley is under contract for next season as well for a cap-friendly $1.325 million. He projects to fill Wheeler's spot on the third line for Boston. 

"We get back a player in Rich Peverley who is a terrific offensive player," explained Chiarelli. "He's a shooter. He plays center and wing... He has a really good wrist shot and a good one-timer. He's got a bit of an edge when he plays."

Sounds a lot like a Bruin. 

The one question mark remaining with Kaberle is whether the Bruins will re-sign him at season's end or let him walk like Sergei Gonchar did a few years back. Kaberle is in the final year of a five-year, $22.15 million deal. However, it's a good sign for Bruins fans that Kaberle waived his no trade clause to come to Boston in the first place. 

"He's a guy that we want to re-sign," Chiarelli said. "Of course there is a chance that we won't re-sign him, but I want to re-sign him...it's an important part of this deal because we are giving up significant assets." 

However, the last thing on the minds of Bruins fans right now is whether or not Kaberle re-signs at season's end. For now, we are too busy jumping for joy about the Black and Gold's postseason chances. They may not be Stanley Cup favorites, but after acquiring Kaberle, Peverley, and Chris Kelly just a few days ago, the Bruins are a whole lot better today than they were a week ago. 

They may have sacrificed a great deal of the future for a shot at the present. 

But if you're a Bruins fan, you've got to be excited.