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Peter Chiarelli Needs to Show Creativity at NHL Trade Deadline, As Market Not Lining Up With Bruins’ Needs (Podcast)

Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli has shown plenty of creativity at the NHL trade deadline in recent years, adding key pieces that had previously flown under the radar.

Last season, Chiarelli brought in the likes of Rich Peverley, Chris Kelly and Tomas Kaberle prior to the deadline. But he’s also struck gold in the form of Mark Recchi and Dennis Seidenberg in years past.

This season, Chiarelli will have to really dig deep, though, as the current market isn’t exactly shaping up the way the Bruins had hoped. The B’s certainly need help up front with Peverley and Nathan Horton missing extended time, but there simply aren’t many players who fit what Boston is looking for.

A couple of players that some thought would fit in well with the B’s, Antoine Vermette and Tuomo Ruutu, are no longer options, as Vermette was traded to Phoenix on Wednesday, while Ruutu inked a contract extension with Carolina. Add in the fact that Coyotes veteran Ray Whitney could now end up staying put, and it’s obvious that it isn’t a buyers’ market for a team in the Bruins’ position.

That isn’t going to stop Chiarelli from working the phones and getting creative, though, as he’s committed to getting head coach Claude Julien the help he needs to make another Stanley Cup run.

In fact, Julien is already getting creative himself, shifting David Krejci over to right wing for Wednesday’s game in St. Louis.

Is that the best spot for the struggling Krejci, and is it inevitable that the Bruins add a couple of pieces before Monday’s trade deadline?

NESN.com Bruins beat writer Doug Flynn and assistant editor Ricky Doyle dove into those topics and more in this week’s podcast. Check out the insanity below.