Open Letter To Steven Kampfer

Defenseman Steven Kampfer was traded from Boston to Minnesota on Monday

Dear Steven:

On behalf of all of Bruins Nation, I'd like to wish you luck in your future with the Minnesota organization. It's a shame to see you go to be honest. You were an integral part of the defense last season. When you were called up from Providence, you more or less gave the defense a shot in the arm and added an offensive boost with your speed and ability to jump into the play, as well as your presence on the powerplay. It's too bad you injured your knee in Providence early in the year, otherwise you may have earned yourself a full time spot on the blue line once again. You didn't complain though, and being the 7th defenseman didn't seem to bother you, and for that we thank you. Many of us Bruins fans were excited at your potential and enjoyed thinking that you may have been a major part of the defensive corps in the coming years. This is a business, as I'm sure you understand, and sometimes you have to give up something valuable to acquire a piece you need for a playoff run, as is the case with your trade. Despite this, we're all saddened to see you leave Boston, and we wish you all the best for a long and successful NHL career. We hope you come back to us here in Boston one day to once again wear the black and gold and be the piece of the defense we all know you can be. Minnesota is a great hockey city, and you'll enjoy your time there, however long it may be. Just do us fans a favor, though. When you play us, try to let the B's score a goal or two, just for kicks. In all seriousness though, we hope you enjoy Minnesota and their passionate fanbase. We hope to see you again one day, once again representing the Boston Bruins organization.

Sincerely,
Boston Bruins Nation

Bruins Acquire 3 At Deadline

Welcome back, old friend.

Yesterday, as you all know, was the NHL trade deadline. In 2 separate moves, the Bruins acquired forward Brian Rolston and Mike Mottau from the Islanders for two prospects, Yannick Riendeau and Marc Cantin, playing for the Bruins ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals, and defenseman Greg Zanon from the Wild in exchange for second year defenseman Steven Kampfer.

Most of us remember Rolston from his playing days with the Bruins. Rolston was part of the package that Colorado sent to Boston in exchange for Bruins legend Ray Bourque. Rolston played for the Bruins from 1999 up until the 2004-2005 lockout, after which the Bruins did not resign him and he signed with the Minnesota Wild. Rolston was a key member of the Bruins of the early 21st century. Although many of those teams were not very good, Rolston's versatility and leadership skills made him a top notch player during his tenure with the Bruins.

Mike Mottau is a native of Quincy and grew up rooting for the Bruins. Mottau is a veteran defenseman with a left handed shot, and, just like Rolston, brings leadership qualities to the locker room. His leadership could prove to be useful, especially with the Bruins gearing up for a playoff run, where they will likely call up multiple minor league defensemen as "Black Aces". He will likely be a healthy scratch during the playoffs, barring injury, but can still prove to be a good presence for the young players working their way through the system, especially the likes of top prospect Dougie Hamilton.

Greg Zanon is another left handed shooting defenseman and has proven over his career to be a solid shutdown player on the back end. He is now third on the Bruins in blocked shots with 101 on the season and will likely prove to be a key addition to the defense corps. This acquisition will also allow Claude Julien to pair Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg together during the playoffs, a pairing that dominated opposing forwards during last year's Stanley Cup run.

These moves are very underrated ones. Adding depth on the forward front and defense front in Rolston and Mottau, as well as adding another shutdown defenseman in Zanon was something the Bruins were looking to do, and it appears that they have accomplished exactly that. GM Peter Chiarelli did admit that he would have liked to have acquired another forward, but the deals just weren't there. After Monday, the Bruins look ready to make another deep playoff run as they begin their quest to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions.