On the face of this deal, it might appear the Bruins have become sellers, but if you've paid attention to Peter Chiarelli lately, he has expressed an interest in improving his back end and most recently adding "a top nine" forward. The Bruins have been linked to numerous defensemen in trade rumors, so this deal most likely is a precursor to another move and was made to clear the $1 million left on Morris' one-year deal and free up cap space for an incoming player or players.
Morris told NESN.com shortly after he was dealt this morning that he was approached by the Bruins just prior to the Olympic trade freeze about possibly waiving his no-movement clause. His belief was that they needed to accommodate an incoming cap hit. But he was then told that the deal was off before it apparently came alive again Wednesday morning.
"My guess and what I'd expect is that they have another deal coming and needed to clear my cap hit," Morris said as he drove back from Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington, Mass. "This is part of the business, and I'm sad to go, but it is what is."
The veteran's instincts proved correct, as the Bruins later swung a trade with the Florida Panthers for defensemen Dennis Seidenberg and Matthew Bartkowski. In exchange, the Panthers received right wingers Byron Bitz and Craig Weller as well as a second-round pick.
