Shawn Thornton Deserves To Wear The "A"

In one of my blog entries regarding the upcoming offseason, I mentioned briefly a possible candidate for replacing Mark Recchi as the second alternate captain. As the season concluded, I had the urge to give David Krejci that honor. I say urge because I was a victim of being a prisoner of the moment. Krejci led the team with 12 goals and accumulated 23 points during the postseason. His production was common for a first-line center. Does that mean he is worthy of wearing the "A"?

Krejci is only 25 years old and he has signed with the Bruins through the 2012-2013 season. However, he shows no leadership on and off the ice because he is a quiet individual. A player who can rack up the stats is not always a great leader. With that being said, Bruins tough guy Shawn Thornton deserves to be the second alternate captain. He is a leader and a grinder who will stick up for his teammates and open his mouth when need be. One could make the argument that since Thornton was scratched for several playoff games he should not deserve this honor. Well, I could not disagree more. He handled the situation with class and respect for the team.

Thornton is signed through next season and he looks to resume his role as the right wing on the fourth line alongside Gregory Campbell and Daniel Paille. The question is will he be wearing the "A" on his sweater? I believe that he should and no one should be surprised if he does display the letter.

Nathan Horton's Day With The Cup Was Short Lived

This is actually quite a comical story when it first broke not too long ago. At the same time, it was a frustrating day for some people. It really all depends where you stand and how you look at the situation. Traditionally, each player on a Stanley Cup winning roster will spend a day with the cup in their respective hometown. Bruins forward Nathan Horton had his day shortened with hockey's greatest prize today as flight delays left an entire city disappointed.

Horton's hometown of Welland, Ontario in Canada was supposed to see a parade that featured their greatest export celebrating his Stanley Cup victory. Due to a flight delay, the cup was stranded in Boston. The cup did not arrive in Canada until approximately 2:30 p.m. after several fans had already left. Twitter was blowing up with tweets from Horton himself and his wife, Tammy Plante-Horton, with updates about when the cup will arrive. The fans that did stick around to see it witnessed a player celebrating a championship in his first ever playoff appearance.

Adam McQuaid Signs Three-Year Extension

This news broke just a couple of hours ago from the Boston Bruins front office. The 24-year old defenseman completed his first full season as a Bruin and finished the year with 3 goals, 12 assists, and a plus-30, a number that has him ranked first among rookies. Before this news, McQuaid was only signed through next season. Since McQuaid signed this three-year extension, that will have four of our six defensemen signed long term (Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference, and Adam McQuaid). A tough young player and a physical presence on the blue line, McQuaid will be wearing the black and gold for some time.

A Knight On The Ice

Ok maybe the title of this blog is a bit on the cliche side, but I admit I have always been known to dial up some colorful titles with a dose of sensationalism in my entries. Anyway, the reason for this title is because of a recent development taking place in the Boston Bruins development camp. Forward Jared Knight has been an eye-opening player that scouts have been looking at for quite some time. In fact, Knight has improved his overall game from last year's camp to this year's camp.

He plays in the Ontario Hockey League with other young juniors who are putting in the hours during the offseason in order to get a chance at the pros. Knight was selected 32nd overall in 2010 and recorded 25 goals and 70 points last season for his junior hockey team. He played three games for the Providence Bruins this past season recording two assists.

I have gone on and on about Steve Kampfer, Jordan Caron, Matt Bartkowski, and Jamie Arniel as great young players who are ready to take on the next level of competition. But Jared Knight's name will also be added to that list and he could prove to be a vital young talent that will be up with the Bruins in the next couple of years.

On a side note, the Bruins still remain in conversation with restricted free agent Brad Marchand. With a mediocre free agent market this summer, Boston still came through with strong offseason acquisitions in Joe Corvo and Benoit Pouliot. Now the only thing left on the agenda is to re-sign Marchand, a task that must get done.

Kaberle Signs With The Hurricanes, Bruins Sign Corvo

We knew that Tomas Kaberle's run in Boston was on thin ice as it is the minute he came to the Bruins. After coming off a disappointing postseason, he tested free agency. He originally said that he was going to wait until next week to make a decision, but he was obviously holding out of a big pay day. He signed a three-year deal with the Carolina Hurricanes worth $12.75 million. He finished the postseason with 11 assists.

Now that Kaberle is out of here, this would be the perfect opportunity to give Steve Kampfer the full time spot in that six man rotation of defensemen. Matt Bartkowski and Colby Cohen are also possible choices, but Kampfer has the most professional experience and he will be our future elite puck-moving defenseman. Even though we drafted Dougie Hamilton, we probably will not see him up with the Bruins for some time.

That is only one possible option because the Bruins also traded their fourth-round pick for defenseman Joe Corvo. He played for the Hurricanes last season and registered 11 goals and 29 assists for 40 points. Looks like there could very well be an open competition for the final spot on the blue line coming up for next season.

Bruins Sign Benoit Pouliot, Ryder Signs With Dallas

Bruins forward Michael Ryder was officially signed by the Dallas Stars this afternoon, thus bringing his career in Boston to an end. Even though many viewed this as an expected end to his career (being signed by another team in free agency), Bruins fans will not forget what he did for the team during their playoff run. He finished the postseason with eight goals and nine assists as he proved to be a key finisher for Boston as the playoffs went on. He signed a two-year deal with the Stars that is worth around $7 million.

Out goes one forward, in comes another. Bruins wasted little time after the Ryder transaction as they signed Benoit Pouliot to a one-year deal worth a little over $1 million. He spent the last season in Montreal and was known by Bruins fans as the guy who delivered a blindside hit on Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk. Whether we like it or not, Pouliot will now be on the right side of the greatest rivalry in sports. There is no doubt that he will fit in with the team.

On a side note, former Bruins forward Marco Sturm signed a one-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks. He was traded from Boston earlier this season due to an aggravating knee injury. He played for the Los Angeles Kings and the Washington Capitals to finish the season.