It’s no secret Peter Chiarelli wants to add some depth for Boston’s Stanley Cup defense. But to hear the Bruins GM explain it, he won’t do it at the expense of team chemistry.
“That’s probably my priority when I look to add something,” Chiarelli told ESPN Boston, when asked if he was wary of upsetting the current mix. “I do want to add something, and I’d like to help the team. I’d like to add to our depth, but that’s a priority. It’s a fine balance with chemistry and you have to be careful.”
It’s an interesting position for Chiarelli to take. He was one of the league’s most aggressive GMs at last year’s deadline, acquiring Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley before breaking the bank to get Tomas Kaberle out of Toronto. While Kaberle was largely a disappointment, Kelly and Peverley played key roles in Boston’s Stanley Cup victory.
“I’ve been quite expressive in saying that we want to add, we don’t want to subtract,” Chiarelli said. “We demand performance, and we want to try and repeat.”
While he might be preaching caution, Chiarelli has plenty of trade avenues to explore. Kelly, Shawn Thornton, Gregory Campbell, Daniel Paille and Joe Corvo are all impending UFAs and according to Capgeek, the B’s could have as much as $13 million in available cap space at the deadline.
That said, Chiarelli has stated on numerous occasions he likes his current group and will work hard on extending his free agents. One such player, defenseman Johnny Boychuk, inked a three-year deal worth $10.08 million yesterday.
“Winning the Cup, you tend to fall in love with your players, and I think you have to be careful,” Chiarelli said. “You see all the intangibles in a long playoff run, so you tend to monetize that. It’s something that I’ve tried to stay away from and will continue to try to stay away from.
“But the team did win us a Cup, and I’m going to try to sign as many guys as I can.”
