So there's movements in BeanTown.
Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau (both UFA at seasons end) have been traded to Calgary for Andrew Ference and Chuck Kobasew.
Kobasew is a young, speedy winger that is improving each year. Last year he had alot of individual effort garbage goals, and this year he brings alot of energy, hitting, and is willing to go to the tough areas to score goals. Flames fans are nervous he will bite us in the behind like Savard and St. Louis have in the future.
As for Ference, as i said, hes very underated. He's extremely strong for his size, and is very intense. He is prone to the occasional hiccup in his own zone (although those have been very rare the past year), and can run the pp and distribute the puck at the point well. He also knows how to get the puck to the net, and is one of the best community guys on the team and the most down to earth guy on the team.
From HFBoards, the analogy of a Flames fan (one who actually took the time to be coherent amongst all the bruins fan's exclamatory posts and calling for Chiarelli or Chiapets head).
For the Flames, Stuart and Primeau are effectively rentals and while a myriad of Bruins fans are screaming blue murder (the belief we could have got MORE for Stuart) I think it's a reasonably fair trade. No team is going to part with a blue chip top quality defenseman for a guy like Stuart, because even though he is probably out number 2 Dman, there is no guarantee for the team that Stuart will in fact stay with them any longer than the end of the season. While Primeau has been valuable on the team's energy line Kobasew does bring a 20 goal season and the possibility to grow into a high quality winger.
The thing is are they going to be used positively? Lewis from what I've heard so far (and i say this with respect because I"M not an NHL coach) is having issues using players in their right roles.
I'm majorly psyched though about Andy Ference coming to the team. As the Flames poster said, he's a huge team player, and I think he'll be great in the Bruins dressing room. His playoff performances have been huge, and he's definitely a come on guys follow me person. We need that.
Any way. Later people.
Oh and today's prediction record.
Bruins won. I said Islanders - 0 to me (And i'm so happy for it to be ZERO)
Buffalo Won. I said buffalo - 1 to me!
Penguins won. I said penguins 2 to me! GO JORDAN STAAL!
Ottawa won. I said Ottawa. 3 to me!
Philly won. I said St Louis. 3 to me. (More than happy for this as well)
Rangers won. I said rangers. 4 to me. (Ovy did score though)
LA won. I said Nashville. 4 to me. (YAY FOR NASHVILLE LOOSING)
Florida won. I said Phoenix. 4 to me. (Eh I just like Boynton)
Minnesota won. I said Carolina. 4 to me.
Vancouver. are going to win (unless Kovy gets a rocket up his....)
So out of 11 games I get 4 right.
Eh. I think i'll stick to the east Conference from now on. I know those teams.
Update, 11:10pm EST: They just spoke with Peter Maher on the phone and he was able to tell us how the team was waiting on the bus to go to the airport. He thought something must be happening and Rich Preston took Andrew Ference off the bus to tell him of the trade.
From double d(ion) All i can think of reading that is. I wonder how many watched through the windows as they broke the news to him.