Boston Bruins GM on Johnny Boychuk trade: I was upset
By Cory Buck
Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli was upset he had to trade defenseman Johnny Boychuk
The Boston Bruins have finally made some moves to clear enough cap space to fit under the ceiling by dealing defensive stalwart Johnny Boychuk. As a member of the 2011 Stanley Cup champion squad, it was hard for Johnny Boychuk and the Bruins to part, but GM Peter Chiarelli was running out of options with the cap closing in and Johnny Boychuk due a big raise in the summer of 2015. Just don’t expect either party to enjoy their parting of ways.
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Chiarelli spoke candidly of the Johnny Boychuk trade via Joe Haggerty at CSNNE:
"“This is a tough trade. We all like Johnny. I spoke with him shortly after the trade was consummated. I told him ‘you know, Johnny; we brought you here from Colorado. You did everything we told you to do. You got better as a player. You were patient. You got better. You’re a part of the fabric of the team.’ This was really hard to do but there’s an element of business to it, an element of hockey and we tried to get ahead of it a little bit.’ He was upset, I was upset, I’m still upset.”"
It’s a testament to Johnny Boychuk’s ability that the Islanders have become legitimate playoff contenders upon his acquisition. Johnny Boychuk offers everything New York needs as a tough, responsible blue liner who can get the puck out of his zone and keep it out. Now the Bruins will suffer in those areas without Johnny Boychuk, but the blue line is one of Boston’s strengths from which they could draw in an effort to stay competitive in the future.
“I feel like we got very valuable return,” Chiarelli said of the two second-round picks and a conditional third round pick the team received from New York. “Those are real viable picks that can be used to draft players or acquire players.”
Expect the Bruins to use those picks at a later time to improve on their status as top dog in the East.
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