As deadline nears, it's their move

There is no thunderclap here. The NHL trade deadline will come and go Thursday, and by 3 p.m., the Bruins will not be significantly better or worse than they were yesterday when they packed up their gear for tonight's game in Buffalo.

In other words, no matter what happens over the next couple of days, the Bruins will be a mediocre team with a less-than-50/50 chance of challenging for the final playoff spot in the East.

Yes, they could wheel Sergei Samsonov. Ditto for fellow forward P.J. Axelsson. And defenseman Brian Leetch, at age 37, also could be wearing different colors, possibly his former Ranger Blueshirt, by Thursday evening. All three will be unrestricted free agents as of July 1, and all would bring some interest in the marketplace, even with the UFA tag dangling at their elbows.

Rather than having all three walk out of town over the summer, with nothing to harvest in return, it undoubtedly would be in the club's best interest to move them in the next day or two, if only for a couple of decent draft picks. Draft picks aren't going to provide any help on the bench over the final five weeks of the regular season, but such is the reality of the UFA world, and the risk of keeping key roster players essentially unprotected with expiring (read: one-year) deals.

Had the Bruins not signed Joe Thornton to that three-year, $20 million deal last summer, and instead forced him to play for a one-year qualifier, they might have found themselves in a draft-picks-only situation today with Jumbo Joe, too. They opted not to sign longer-term deals with Samsonov and Axelsson, and now all the leverage is with the veteran forwards. Sure, they might be rendered short-term hockey mercenaries in the next few hours, but as of July 1, they get their crack at what promises again this summer to be very much a seller's market.

Leetch, following yesterday's workout at the Garden, acknowledged that it's hard not to think about the impending deadline.

''I'd like to be here," he said, ''and I'd like to be a Bruin, but . . .

''There's no use playing GM as a player. It's whatever people decide for the organization."

Leetch had that spelled out for him two years ago when Rangers boss Glen Sather ditched him to the Maple Leafs at the deadline. For all his dedicated years in Manhattan, the classy backliner learned of the deal via a phone call from Sather. Within hours, his bags were packed and he was off for his short-term Toronto tour.

Samsonov, who nearly had his season ended yesterday by a freak knee injury during practice, also acknowledged the anxiety connected to the deadline. He reiterated that he would prefer to stay (''It's definitely a place I can call home"), but also agreed that the Thornton deal underscored the realities of the win-for-pay world of professional sports.

Asked if he felt he would still be a Bruin as of Thursday night, he said, ''Honestly, I have no idea. I'd like to be -- but it's out of my hands. I like it here. I like the fans. I like putting on a Bruins jersey. It's definitely a place to play."

As somber as much of this is, it could be worse. There is no indication that general manager Mike O'Connell is looking to tear apart what has developed into an interesting core group.

Beginning in mid-January, following a prolonged run of ineptitude after the Thornton deal, the Bruins finally began to play much better -- thanks in large part to the inspired play of the three San Jose recruits (Marco Sturm, Wayne Primeau, and Brad Stuart) and the often-inspiring netminding of journeyman Tim Thomas. The play of those four, more than anything, put the Bruins in position at least to challenge for the No. 8 playoff seed.

The real folly now would be for O'Connell to move, say, a Sturm or a Stuart in hopes of: 1. catching that No. 8 seed and 2. saving his job. Is either Sturm or Stuart tradeable? Of course. And each one would bring back more than Mssrs. Axelsson, Samsonov, or Leetch, because Sturm and Stuart won't be UFAs in July.

The true value of the Thornton deal -- hard for fans to appreciate now -- is that it put in place a core group with an impressive work ethic. Ideally, Samsonov and Axelsson would be retained, because they have the skill and work ethic to fit well with the core and the coaching staff. But assuming those two are gone, be it by Thursday or over the summer, then there is at least some solace in the fact that much of the laziness that existed in the product, as captained by Thornton, has been shaken up, and headed in the right direction.

Even Thornton's No. 1 wingman, Glen Murray, of late appears to have bought in to the reality that he has to do more to make a living than pull back his stick and wait for someone to soft-serve him a perfect feed to drive into the net. In the grand picture, that's no small revelation. The Bruins owe Murray, their highest-priced roster player, more than $4 million for each of the next three years. If he can keep improving the way he has of late, use his legs as well as his arms, he could still be a valuable contributor.

But keep this in mind about Murray: With old pal Jumbo Joe in San Jose, and the Sharks facing a playoff DNQ themselves, GM Doug Wilson could be inclined in the next day or two to take a run at Murray. If so, the Bruins would clear another $4 million-plus in cap room, money that could serve to help re-sign Axelsson, Samsonov, or both.

It has been, to say the least, a curious and challenging season for the Bruins and their fans. It was a team cobbled together on the fly, after a failed business approach vis-a-vis the lockout and free agency. And it was dismantled, and then reconfigured, in much the same manner -- first with the jettisoning of Dave Scatchard and then the heave-ho of Jumbo Joe.

Now with the likes of Samsonov and Axelsson seemingly on the way out, be it a matter of days or weeks, it could mean a near-total transformation of the franchise. Once that's complete, it will be up to ownership to decide whether O'Connell and his management team will follow.