Trading a player he'd watched come up through the ranks of the organization to become a contributor at the NHL level is one aspect of the job Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli doesn't enjoy, but at least he can take solace that the departure of Matt Hunwick helps clear the way for the return of Marc Savard.
The Bruins traded Hunwick to Colorado for defensive prospect Colby Cohen on Tuesday night. Hunwick's exit clears the remainder of his $1.45 million cap hit from the Bruins books, which Chiarelli confirmed in a conference call Tuesday evening will be enough to put Savard back in the lineup.
"This will be enough to activate Marc Savard when he is ready to play," said Chiarelli when asked if any further moves would be needed to clear cap room.
When that return will come is still not certain, though Savard stated after practice on Tuesday that his return is "just around the corner." Chiarelli wouldn't commit to a specific date, but his decision to clear cap space now certainly indicates that the Bruins don't expect Savard to be out much longer.
"We're on the eve of him coming back," said Chiarelli. "We just have to make sure everything is right.
"We monitored how he practiced today and we'll see how his conditioning is and we'll make a determination at some point, but nothing definitive at this time," added Chiarelli.
Chiarelli also cautioned setting expectations too high for Savard when he does first return, while at the same time allowing himself to ponder the possibilities of having centers Savard, David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron finally all in the lineup together again.
"It's going to take him a while to get up to speed once he's back," said Chiarelli. "But we've had David [Krejci] out a while with a concussion and this latest flu bug, so it will be nice to get some balance to our attack with the three centermen back. That will be nice."
Chiarelli admitted that it wasn't easy finding a way to shed salary, though he insisted that former Boston University blueliner Cohen, who will report directly to Providence, was a player he'd long coveted.
"The trade market in general is slow," said Chiarelli, who noted the early stage of the season and parity in the league limit potential trading partners. "There are some teams that are proactive out there. It's my job to identify those teams and try to get the best fit and the best return."
Chiarelli will have to make more tough deals soon, as he'll also have to clear cap space when Marco Sturm is ready to return from offseason knee surgery.
"It's a chore, but you try to push the envelope with your roster," said Chiarelli. "But at the same time you want to ideally have flexibility at some point to add."
