Bruins not ruling out big addition

After telling reporters earlier this month he would be focused primarily on “depth” moves, Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli has changed course and is trying to add an impact player before Monday’s NHL trade deadline, league sources not directly tied to the negotiations told ESPNBoston.com.


The shift in emphasis is a result of injuries to key forwards — Nathan Horton (concussion) and Rich Peverley (knee) — and the team’s overall lackluster play since the beginning of January (Wednesday night’s win notwithstanding), the sources indicated.

As for whether Chiarelli will be successful is another matter entirely. The market for impact forwards is thin beyond the Columbus Blue Jackets’ Rick Nash and Jeff Carter. While the Blue Jackets would be willing to part with the duo, they’d likely be looking for an elite goalie in return. For the Bruins, that means Tuukka Rask (Tim Thomas has a no movement clause in his contract), and Chiarelli isn’t about to part with the 24-year-old netminder.

And even though the Bruins have plenty of room to work with — one estimate has them $13.2 million under the salary cap — Chiarelli might be hesitant to pull the trigger on a deal for a short-term rental. He said Wednesday that prices were currently “through the roof.”

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/bruins/post/_/id/8968/sources-bruins-not-ruling-out-big-addition