A Look At The New Bruins

The Boston Bruins have been making several splashes so far this offseason. For the most part, the headlines have come internally. 

Tuukka Rask and Patrice Bergeron have been signed to long-term deals, each for eight years. Milan Lucic, Brad Marchand and Bergeron have been invited to the Canadian National Team orientation for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Claude Julien has been named the associate coach for that very same national team. Also, the departure of key players like Nathan Horton, Andrew Ference, Tyler Seguin, and Rich Peverley have left some fans demoralized. 

Let's just take a minute and look at the bigger picture. The Bruins actually picked up some great pieces to add to this roster. Specifically, Jarome Iginla and Loui Eriksson will provide an even swap at worst when it comes to the loss of their forwards.

Iginla, who had spent most of his career with the Calgary Flames, chose to go to the Pittsburgh Penguins at last year's trade deadline in what has become legendary fashion. He is still an elite goal scorer in this league. He has posted over 500 goals and 1,000 points. He had previously served as the Flames captain for nine seasons as well as the alternate captain for the Canadian National Team.

Although he still packs a scoring touch, he will not hesitate to drop the gloves and stick up for his teammates. How could you not want a player like that on your team? For those fans who are still bitter about Iginla choosing the Penguins over the Bruins, get over it. He is a Bruin now. 

As for Eriksson, he is a solid, two-way player who can skate very well. The Swedish forward has recorded 150 goals during his NHL career. You could not ask for a better player to skate on the second line with Bergeron and Marchand. 

It looks like the Bruins have their roster pretty much set for training camp. The third-line winger position is still open and it looks like upper management will allow one of their young prospects compete for the job. 

With the defense and goaltending situation all set, the Bruins seem to be in pretty decent shape, barring any injuries.

Impactful Summer Thus Far For Bruins

It did not take long for the Boston Bruins to make an immediate splash this off-season. Who would have thought that the B's would part ways with one of their most prized possessions.

They traded away Tyler Seguin, along with Rich Peverley, to the Dallas Stars for Loui Eriksson and a plethora of other players. Seguin played three seasons with the Black and Gold, recording 56 goals and 65 assists in over 200 games. The Stars will get a top-line player of the future. 

It was surprising that the Bruins parted ways rather quickly with a player who was once the second overall pick in the NHL draft a few years ago. However, Eriksson will be a huge asset for this team and will fit very well on the second line.

With Nathan Horton signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets, a void was left to fill on the top line. Ironically, Jarome Iginla signed with Boston a number of days ago. The deal is for one year, but with the way that the Pittsburgh Penguins were bounced from the Eastern Conference Finals at the hands of the Bruins, Iginla has something to prove. 

Also, Tuukka Rask signed a long-term deal that is worth $56 million over the next eight years. He is now alongside Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne as the highest paid goaltenders in the NHL. 

Patrice Bergeron's long-term deal is most likely right around the corner. 

This was just a brief recap of the major moves made by the Bruins thus far.