Should the Bruins Make a Big Move at the Trade Deadline?

by NESN Staff on Wed, Feb 22, 2012 at 1:04PM

The Bruins are the defending Stanley Cup champions. This season, they experienced a 30-game run in which they won 20 more games than they lost. They have the defending Vezina Trophy winner and a more-than-capable backup.

Yet for as good as the Bruins have shown they can be in the last 12 months, there are those who firmly believe that the B's need a shake-up with Monday's trade deadline approaching.

Players like Rick Nash, Jeff Carter and Zach Parise are some of the biggest names that have been at least mentioned in rumors and/or speculation, and players of their caliber would obviously go a long way in helping any team improve.

And despite all of the Bruins' successes in the last year, it's tough to deny that they could at least use some fine tuning, especially if they aren't going to be healthy for the foreseeable future. It's imperative that they get Rich Peverley and Nathan Horton healthy, as the club has slumped rather mightily in their absence. Peverley is at least expected back at some point (although it's unclear at what level he'll be able to play at down the stretch and into the playoffs), while Horton's concussion makes his future a lot less certain.

Of course, if you're going to make a deal at the deadline, you're going to have to give up a lot to get a lot, especially this season. By most accounts, it's still a seller's market, with teams who possess chips still dealing from a position of power. This is especially true for a team like Columbus, which has both Nash and Carter under contract after this season, meaning the club can wait to deal either of them in the offseason or perhaps at the draft. Meanwhile, the Bruins have relatively no power, as teams know how bad they could use the help.

Add it all up, and Peter Chiarelli will have to make a franchise-altering deal to get any of the marquee players who may be available. Is the steep price worth adding a game-changing player for another Stanley Cup push?

Should the Bruins make a big move at the trade deadline?