In fact, they might not even have acquired him to play hockey all that much, as the trade sending Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart to Atlanta in exchange for Valabik and Rich Peverley was a necessity to clear cap space for the impending Tomas Kaberle trade.
Yet, there might just be something in Valabik that Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli likes, and if there is, there’s a 100 percent change it’s the defenseman’s size.
He’s 6-foot-7, 255 pounds, and it’s only fitting that he’s involved with the Bruins on a day that they’re working out a trade with the Maple Leafs.
You see, the only reason anyone in Boston would know Valabik’s name is that in December 2008, he got in a shoving match with Phil Kessel, who is a bit smaller than the Slovakian. Bruins captain Zdeno Chara, the only man on the ice to match Valabik’s size, came over and said hello. The following fight ensued.
Since then, Kessel was supposed to be traded to the Leafs for Tomas Kaberle, only for that deal to fall through. Kessel was then finally dealt to Toronto, and on Friday, the Bruins and Leafs were finalizing a deal to send Kaberle to Boston. And right in the middle of all it, both then and now, is Boris Valabik.
