But Bruins fans should be thanking Chiarelli, because if he had given in to Kessel’s demands and awarded him with the big contract he sought, the Bruins wouldn’t have been able to sign the player on their roster that appears to bleed Black and Gold. That would be forward Milan Lucic, who signed a three-year extension worth over $12 million on Tuesday.
“That doesn’t happen if they keep Kessel or give him what [Toronto GM Brian] Burke did,” one NHL scout told NESN.com on Tuesday night. “They kept the guy that is everything the Bruins have ever been and are trying to become again. They made the right choice.”
It is likely that Chiarelli originally planned to somehow keep all of his young talent — Lucic, Kessel, David Krejci, Matt Hunwick, Blake Wheeler, Mark Stuart, Johnny Boychuk and Tuukka Rask. But if he was going to accomplish that feat, he needed to know that they all wanted to be Bruins and that they bought into what the Bruins are building.
“At the end of the day, we want players that want to be here,” Chiarelli said following the Kessel trade.
No one knows how the Wheeler, Stuart, Boychuk and Rask negotiations will go. They all say they want to stay in Boston, but as we all know, money can change things quickly. We do know one thing, however: On Tuesday, Chiarelli signed a player many deem the epitome of a Bruin. He is someone who displays the attributes of the Bruins of old. Lucic can be the prototypical power forward of this generation. TSN and NBC analyst Pierre McGuire recently called him a “devastating machine” and a “cyborg” for his pure ferocity and toughness.
Lucic is also constantly compared to Hall of Famer and Bruins president Cam Neely due to his combination of size, grit and scoring prowess. Neely has reportedly become a mentor for the rising star, who is rapidly approaching the cult status Neely held when he donned Black and Gold and made life miserable for opponents both along the boards and on the scoreboard.
Lucic has increased his scoring in each of his first two seasons in the NHL and will be ready to build off that this season. He has become one of the most feared fighters in the league and every one of his teammates knows he will do whatever it takes to win.
Chiarelli is facing plenty of cap issues. It remains to be seen how he will sign his remaining restricted free agents and somehow keep perennial leading scorer Marc Savard.
One thing is certain, though. Chiarelli has stuck to his guns and his game plan of building a team full of true Bruins. And by locking Lucic into the fold for the next three years, “Big and Bad” are definitely back.
