For a time, albeit a short time, it appeared as though the Boston Bruins had made an acquisition that matched the roster additions made by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Then, Pittsburgh managed to one-up Boston by actually acquiring the player the Bruins hoped to add.
Jarome Iginla trade: Where do Bruins go from here?
With Jarome Iginla joining the Pittsburgh Penguins, all eyes are on what the Boston Bruins plan to do before the trade deadline on April 3.
Alex Wong
After acquiring Jarome Iginla from the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night, the Penguins were able to improve their roster while simultaneously hurting the Bruins. Boston has been attempting to acquire a top-six forward for most of the season. By most accounts, Iginla was the forward they wanted to get.
Boston has been looking at other players in the event that they were unable to acquire Iginla, according to Darren Dreger of TSN. San Jose Sharks forward Ryane Clowe is one such player that Dreger mentioned by name. Much like Iginla, Clowe is playing in the final year of his contract and would likely act as a rental for the playoffs.
However, Clowe has struggled this season and has potentially been battling injury issues through most of the year (he recently missed four games with a shoulder issue).
Apparently, Boston is also exploring options outside of the rental market and could take on a player with term left on his contract following the 2013 season. Joe Haggerty of Comcast SportsNet New England tweeted on Wednesday afternoon that Boston was in discussions with the Philadelphia Flyers to acquire forward Danny Briere. With Briere currently out indefinitely due to a concussion, one would imagine that deal is likely off the table (Briere also has a no-movement clause and has expressed a desire to stay in Philadelphia).
In addition, they are believed to be looking for a defenseman, with Ryan Whitney of the Edmonton Oilers mentioned as a possibility. Haggerty stated that a forward might be included in a trade for Whitney and mentioned Magnus Paajarvi.
When analyzing where Boston goes from here, one has to wonder if the Penguins’ success in the trade market will hurt the Bruins’ negotiations. It’s crystal clear that Boston is in an arms race with Pittsburgh. Will rival general managers attempt to squeeze Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli because they know he is eager to execute a trade?
Whatever the case, one would imagine Chiarelli will be working diligently to add to his already impressive roster prior to April 3’s deadline.
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