The Olympics are over and the Bruins are back. Unfortunately, they look to be back to their bad playing ways as well. I went to last night’s game against the Canadiens and it was unbearable. No defense, no offense, and too many Montreal fans. I know it was the first game back after two weeks off but the other team wasn’t playing for two weeks either! The one thing the horrible loss did for me was lessen the anger left over from Team USA losing to Canada for the Olympic gold medal. Actually, I think it might just be adding to that anger, I’m not quite sure. Hockey plays with your mind too much. I’m just glad I don’t have to see Crosby any time soon. Wait…Sunday? The Bruins are playing the Penguins on Sunday? Seriously? I have to see Crosby again that soon? Oh well, when Chara plants him at center ice, it will all be okay.
Okay, so now on to what the team needs to win. The team needs Chara to play like he can which he didn’t do last night and he looked flat-out lost sometimes. The goaltending is fine with me and the overall defense seems to be pretty sound and we have the offensive players to make things happen, but clearly something is not working. Well, GM Peter Chiarelli has done what he believes will benefit the team with some moves today at the trade deadline. Unlike last season, I have a feeling that most fans knew something was going to go down.
The Bruins said bye-bye to Derek Morris and Byron Bitz. I have no problems with getting rid of Morris since he has not contributed much in my mind. Bitz is a little different of a story. Bitz has developed so much over the last year and I thought he had finally secured a spot with the team but then Satan came along and took that spot and Bitz became expendable. To me, Bitz has more value to this team than Satan but what does my opinion mean to the Bruins?
Chiarelli and the Bruins clearly think that the team needs defense. We traded away one defensemen and have acquired three. When Morris was dealt, I thought it would open the door for Johnny Boychuk but that door was shut the moment we picked up Dennis Seidenberg. So Johnny is back to being the seventh defensemen although I feel like that may be a revolving door with Matt Hunwick.
So even with all this trade deadline action, how does all this improve the Bruins? Where is the scoring going to come from? How does trading away one forward and one defensemen to get three defensemen make sense? Well, in my mind, it doesn’t. However, I am not getting paid to make these choices but I still have an opinion. Byron Bitz did everything that was ever asked and needed of him and more when he scored goals. He played with the tenacity that the Bruins style of play requires even though we haven’t seen it from the team as a whole lately.
Maybe the change in players will be what the Bruins need but I don’t believe in the whole new faces can change a team even if the quality of the team has not improved. They traded away Chuck Kobasew to change the team dynamic and what did that do? Nothing. I may be completely wrong about these trades and for the team’s sake and for the sanity of Bruins fans, I really hope I am.
If the all the Bruins play like they can with the “We Want It” approach, this team will get back on track. The deals are done and I can disagree all I want but Bitz isn’t going to be coming back and the team is still going to be overloaded with defensemen. The Bruins need to skate, hit, score, and just play. If all that happens, maybe we’ll see the postseason. Maybe…
Gonna miss you Bitz!! Good luck in Florida!!
Kristin Carbone
Pierce Arrow Blogger
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