Bruins lock-up Campbell and two other defencemen
The Boston Bruins have announced that they have signed three restricted free agents, all of them defencemen. Gregory Campbell is the centre-piece of the deal, while they also hung onto Adam McQuaid, and Andrew Bodnarchuck.
The Players
Campbell is the most important signing of the trio, and spent last season with the Florida Panthers, coming over in the Nathan Horton for Dennis Wideman deal. Campbell has signed a two-year contract with the Bruins, as they begin to fill out their back end.
Campbell was drafted 67th overall in the third round of the National Hockey League entry draft. He played his first two seasons with the Panthers American Hockey League affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage.
In 2006-07 he joined the Panthers full time. Campbell recording 17 points and a minus-five rating in 60 games last year with the club, he was traded this summer along with Nathan Horton to the Bruins.
McQuaid played his junior career with the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League. He was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets 55th overall in the second round of the 2002 NHL entry draft.
McQuaid was traded to the Bruins and has spent the last two seasons playing for Boston’s AHL affiliate the Providence Bruins. McQuaid played 19 games for the Bruins last season registering one points and a minus-four rating.
Bodnarchuck began his career playing for the Halifax Moosehead of the Quebec Major Junior League before being drafted by the Bruins 128th overall in the fifth round of the NHL entry draft.
Bodnarchuck played his first season with Providence, being called up for five games with Boston, in which he did not register a point.
Boston’s Perspective
The Boston Bruins finally made a move in shoring up their blue line for next season. With only five players listed on the teams official roster prior to these signings general manager Peter Chiarelli needed to make some moves.
The Campbell signing adds a legitimate young defenseman to the squad. Campbell should start, taking Wideman’s spot.
McQuaid should expect to see more time in the NHL this season, right now seventh on the Bruins defensive depth chart.
It is unlikely that Bodnarchuck will see a great deal of time with the big club this season. The youngster is still only 22, and can expect another full season in the AHL. However with McQuaid making the permanent move tobecome an NHL defenceman, it is possible for Bodarchuck to see some games.
Chiarelli is sitting very close to the cap, and at this point it looks as though he is going to go with this defensive make-up when the puck drops in October. Campbell has some offensive ability, but is far from a top-level puck moving defenseman. Thus the Bruins may be saddled with a slow, non-contributing defensive core.
Cap Implications
Chiarelli was always expected to lock up these RFA’s cheerily out of necessity. Not signing Campbell or McQuaid would have left him to find replacements on the free agent market, something he simply does not have the money to do. Sitting only $1.6 million away from the cap, these signing will certainly put Chiarelli close to the ceiling, and with Blake Wheeler still to come the likelihood of moving a forward is that much more increased.
It has been noted that Chiarelli is trying to move centre Marc Savard, who will only accept trades to Ottawa or Toronto. There is also a possibility that he could sign Blake Wheeler and ship him off somewhere as well. Either way Chiarelli has cemented the fact that a player will be moved before the beginning of next season.
Tags: