Just as important as adding Greg Zanon and Mike Mottau to the defense and Brian Rolston up front may be the fact that the Bruins also didn't give up anything from their current roster or any key assets for the future. Boston did add nearly $7.8 million in cap hits with the moves, but all three players acquired are on expiring contracts and won't affect the Bruins' cap flexibility going forward.
Those acquisitions cost the Bruins just fringe defenseman Steven Kampfer, who had already been sent down to Providence earlier this month, and a pair of minor leaguers who have struggled to stick with Providence in forward Yannick Riendeau and defenseman Marc Cantin.
Kampfer appeared to have a bright future when he burst upon the scene last season, making an immediate impact with his mobility when recalled from Providence in December. He posted 4-4-8 totals in his first 20 games, and seemed poised to provide the Bruins with a needed offensive element on their defense.
But Kampfer managed just 1-3-4 totals in his final 28 games in Boston, including a mere two assists in 10 games this season. He suffered a knee injury after being demoted to Providence late last season and did not play in Boston's Cup run, and injured his other knee in the preseason this fall.
"Steve, in his defense, he had kind of a tough ride this year," Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said. "I don't know if it's a sophomore jinx, but it happens sometimes. When he came in he had some swagger and he gave us that little bit of puck-moving and skating that we were looking for at the time. For whatever reason, it wasn't there this season."
Chiarelli feels Kampfer could still prove to be a useful NHL player, but he's not ready to contribute to a contending team at this point, and the Bruins needed someone who could.
"I believe he's an NHL player," Chiarelli said. "I think he'll be in the NHL, and we got an NHL player in return.
"It was the ability to improve our depth and help us now," Chiarelli added of the reason for the deal that brought Zanon to Boston. "I believe Steve will be an NHL player. He is now to a certain degree, but he's not in the NHL. We just wanted a more ready [defenseman], and we wanted some veteran presence too."
Rolston and Mottau also provide veteran depth without subtracting from Boston's current roster or risking the reigning Cup champs' strong chemistry.
Instead, the cost for Rolston and Mottau was negligible, with the Bruins giving up just a pair of minor leaguers with little chance of cracking an NHL roster any time soon. Riendeau and Cantin were both undrafted free agents who have struggled to stick at the AHL level.
Riendeau had a monster season in his final junior campaign, posting 58-68-126 totals in 64 games and another 29-23-52 in 19 playoff contests with Drummondville in 2008-09. But in three pro seasons, he managed just 4-7-11 totals in 46 games in Providence, spending the bulk of his time in the ECHL with Reading.
Cantin, a physical defenseman, also played much of his first pro season in Reading this year, with no points and 22 penalty minutes in 19 games in Providence.
The Bruins could have given up even less for Rolston, who was available on waivers earlier in the day. But Chiarelli chose to wait to maintain flexibility for other moves and was able to stay under the limit of 50 contracts allowed per organization by dealing minor leaguers for Rolston and Mottau.
"We had been looking at him from a distance and I wanted to explore some things prior to noon to see if there were some other guys we could acquire," Chiarelli said. "I didn't feel that he would be picked up on waivers. That happens a lot…It gave us a little more flexibility."
Chiarelli did admit to pursuing at least one other deal with extended talks, and explored many other options. The failure to consummate any other deals was frustrating, but Chiarelli is still satisfied with the depth he was able to add at a very limited cost.
"There was one deal that we had been working on for about two weeks that didn't come to fruition, and he wasn't dealt," Chiarelli said.
"That was the theme for this year -– frustration," Chiarelli said, before quickly adding, "but fulfillment."
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