Inside the Alberts deal

Lukacevic has 0 goals and 3 assists in12 games this season for the Springfield Isotopes. This organization continues to be a disgrace. I wonder who the next salary dumpee will be?

remember chiarelli traded brad boyes who then scored 40 goals for the blues...alberts is much better off

lose defense and add a wing.... seems to be the opposite of what we need. I would have liked to have actually played Alberts and see if he looked halfway decent so maybe we could make a better trade.

maybe his injury is still lingering? seems like a risk for philly. I wonder how Alberts will feel playing for the team that tried to kill him

paul, he traded boyes and got wideman who has been a workhorse for us, you trade strengths in order to get rid of your weaknesses. I still that trade was a good one.

Dan, they are dumping salary because they NEED to, they are way to close to the cap, It's not like they are dumping the salary for the hell of it, they need the room.

I still dont like the trade though.

Alberts was never going to play.....he looked decent...but I think they want to bring up one of there young defensemen to push Hnidy.

It's a salary dump....but this is what happens when you 1 million under the cap....

Andrew Alberts to Philadelphia? File under, "You break it, you buy it."

Dan: Salary dumps, in the salary cap NHL, are necessary sometimes.

This wasn't addressing the on-ice needs, directly, right now. It's not like Lukacevic will be an NHL player tomorrow.

Patience, please.

I would have taken a bag of pucks for Alberts. I've never liked him.

Sure our defense could use some help, but losing Alberts doesn't make it any worse. He had a horrible camp this year, and most likely would have been scratched most nights anyway. I'm glad Chia dumped him.

Not a bad dump off here. Hunwick looked just as good as Alberts in camp, and he's cheaper. It's interesting he went to Philly which is where he got his concussion lsat year. That should make the Bruins and Flyers games even more interesting this year.

There was just something in his game they didn't like, and you can't pay $1.25m for a guy to watch from the owner's box. I liked his physical style though. In the end, this trade will probably have as big an impact as the Toivanen deal, meaning none.

It's fair to point out the Boyes deal, but really who saw THAT coming? Nobody. Sometimes that happens.

Overall I think the new management and coaching is going about things the right way and this should be a competitive playoff team. The best days are still a year or two away.

Good move. Alberts was no great shakes before his injury (though he was improving) and he just looked rattled afterward. They got rid of some salary and didn't take any back AND got a draft pick. If the Patriots did this we'd be reading about the brilliance of Belicheck and Pioli. Now the way is opened up for some of the younger defensemen in our system just as the Schaefer move opened up the door for Blake Wheeler.

LMFAO @ The passive "patience please" fans. It has been 11 years since this team has won in the playoffs and this organization keeps on making mistake after mistake after mistake.

Couldn't have said it better JT. And Darkcity I would have taken half a bag of pucks for Alberts. Kid is 27 and leaves his jock at the blue line half the games he plays. 1.25 for a guy who barely cracks the lineup is too much. Hunwick can more than fill that void, and we replace the fourth (possible 3rd) for alberts... that's a steal if you ask me. Looking up this Lukawhatever guy, doesn't look like he'll make the show in the next decade, but whatever.

Alberts is no Boyes guys... or a Wideman for that matter.

$1.25 million for a guy to sit in the press box. I don't see why some people are whining. It's called cap relief. They were lucky to get anything for him. He's good one game and bad the next. Let one of the kids get a chance. He's a poor man's Hal Gill. Also, Brad Boyes had 13 goals and was a -17 in 62 games when he was traded. As much as I wish Peter Chiarelli could predict the future or even could hypnotize other GM's to give away there best puck moving defencemen, he can't. Suck it up, do you want Sinden back? The Bruin's look better this year than they have in many.

Fantastic deal. Lots of defensemen can watch a game from the press box at a fraction of Alberts's $1.25 million cap hit. Plus, he was a UFA at the eand of the year. #7 defensemen usually aren't lining up to resign if they can get ice time elsewhere. That's why this deal has ZERO to do with the Boyes deal. Boyes was still years away from free agency.

Now if Chia can sucker someone into taking Fernandez's contract and returning an actual NHL backup, we're most of the way toward that 1b defenseman that's so deparately needed.

Dumped a waste of a roster spot for cap space and a pick. The prospect was just a throw in. This is a decent move. Alberts was constantly a liability whenever he was on the ice. We're no worse off without Alberts on the blue line.

I agree Alberts did not have enough of a learning curve... nonetheless his physical play was excellent. Something about this trade makes it prudent to say another trade maybe coming for an experienced top four defenseman. Rumors have been swirling for awhile.

Alberts was always a liability in the back. He was way to slow, could hardly make a break out pass and would always get caught pinching. The only thing he was good at was hitting and thats if he could even catch somebody. He was a stay at home defensemen and we have that with ference, ward, and hnidy, and they are looking to bring up hunwick and lashoff, two quick puck moving defensemen. He was going to ride the pine all year unless someone got hurt and the 2 kids in providence can easily fill his postion. And dumping his salary was crucial for the cap, all and all i think it was a great move forget what we got from it

A 4th or 3rd round is a good value for a 27 years old player who has not progressed much over the last three years. and who is projected as a number 7 defenseman on the team. The Bruins, like every NHL teams must work with the cap structure. Excellent move,,

The way some people are commenting here, I thought for a second I misread "Alberts" for "insert name of halfway decent player here." He wasn't that good, most likely wouldn't have been re-signed in the offseason, and clears a little bit of salary so hopefully the Bruins can make a move that warrants any kind of discussion. This is not one of those moves. Although, if Philly was so pressed to get this deal done, the B's should have forced them to take Schaefer and taken a second round pick instead...

Freed cap space....got a pick...got a prospect....lost a guy taking up a seat in the press box. Seems like a sweet deal to me.

Everyone who is complaining now would be crying in March when they didn't make a trade for the playoff push.

Was Alberts going to play? Probably not. Servicable player, but he wasn't a Ray Bourque. Offensively, he wasn't even a Phil Bourque. Defensively, he was solid.

Is this other guy going to make the team? Probably not. He's there to fill a roster spot.

I think making room for Sobotka and Hunwick was wise. I am not much of an Alberts fan and we get back the draft pick we sent for Manny who is becoming a bad trade quickly.

The reality is that we are going to need his cap money to get someone in a different role- a veteran D man down the road, or another forward- yeah we talk about our depth and all that but there still may be a need for even more grittiness down the road. Alberts was not going to be a top 4 d here

Classic Jacobs salary dump, looks like ticket sales are slow on Causeway St

Big Jim... are you being serious?

The Flyers were being pressed because of injuries to defensemen. Why in earth's creation would we force them to take Shaefer for a 2nd round pick instead? Have you even thought about what you said? Does it make ANY sense? They need a defenseman, so they pick up a left winger?

Big Jim - my apologies already. I misread your comment and like a moron myself posted before I fully realized what you said. It would have been nice to force them to take Shaefer and Alberts in exchange for a 2nd rounder but, I wonder if their cap would allow it, although I'm not sure what their current salary total is up to.

Gah, I'm a moron. Foot in mouth ftw.

Hartnell: "Welcome to Philly Albie. Sorry about trying to put your head through the dasher last year".
Alberts: *wonders which of the three floating people said that*

Also I'd like to add that Alberts was pretty bad but Hnidy is even worse. Write Hnidy on a cone and throw it out there and there wouldn't be much of a difference.

Pierre: Its people like you who still give this team a bad rap. If you think for one second that this had Jacobs' name on it, you are so sadly mistaken. They freed up space under the cap to have the potential to go after a player near the trade deadline should they be in contention. They also got a pick and a prospect for a guy who Chiarelli said they probably weren't going to re-sign anyways after this year, nevermind a guy who hasn't suited up since pre-season. It is so easy to keep looking back on the bad years that they have had, but get your head out of wherever it is and realize that this current management group is looking forward...

Yeah Chris just like last season when they had loads of cash with Mannys and Bergerons LTIR money to do something, anything at the deadline when they were so desperate for scoring and yet they sat on the money and got knocked out again in the first round.

EVERYTHING runs through Jacobs. You think after eating Schaefers contract that something would not be done to offset that? Your more naive then I thought.

Pierre...
What dates did Bergeron go on and come off the LTIR?

FWIW:
Good luck AA, maybe the fresh start will be good for you.

I guess I'm not a very good hockey analyst. Based on what I saw last year, I thought Alberts was a good player. Does anyone on here know what to look for (while watching, say, NESN) to determine whether a player is a good player or not?

It's hard for me to tell from video feed. I always saw Alberts finishing lots of checks, but I guess that's just one facet.

//do something, anything at the deadline when they were so desperate for scoring and yet they sat on the money and got knocked out again in the first round.//

They weren't sitting on the money, they were sitting on the prospects. From all accounts, teams out of contention with someone to deal (i.e. Atlanta) wanted, at the very least, Phil Kessel for a two-month rental. The Penguins did the deal, gave up some great kids, and now Hossa is gone to Detroit. You'd be howilng if that was the Bruins.

Marion Hossa wasn't going to win the Bruins the Stanley Cup. Giving up a good chunk of the future for him would have been foolish.

I dunno...yet another big body on the blue line gone in exchange for no immediate return.

Remind me again what they got for for Jurcina?

Excepting Chara, the back line now ranges between 5'11" and 6'2", and maxes out at 213lbs.

Alberts is not a good NHL player at all. He consistently gets beaten by AVERAGE NHL forwards. He can't catch a pass and he can't make a pass. He's like if Kyle McLaren was really, really, really bad instead of just really not that good.

I don't understand any outrage over trading someone who is marginal at best in the NHL.

They got a 4th rounder for Milan Jurcina! Then they traded a 4th rounder along with Kalus to the Wild for Manny 'the money pit' Fernandez!

I liked Alberts, maybe because i saw him play as a force for BC in college. I always think you can get something for an nhl caliber defenseman, which alberts is, and teams are often desperate for them , especially when injury strikes. The b's got a guy who plays in the E, which ain't much.

Good point up above about the B's being small on dee, I still think that's their biggest issue, esp. when looking at all the shots they give up.

And hey Hal Gill, supposedly an obsolete player type in the clutchless/grabless new nhl, looked pretty good for the Pens in the playoffs last year.

Maybe Sweens, Don Sweeney, is pushing 'em for small dee, since he was one- by nhl standards. What they have to remember was sweens is a hyper competitive dude.

Awhile ago I said boston could only handle one Manny, after the ramirez trade there was only one, but he can't handle a rebound- or the initial shot, i guess we can still count on del carmen, sort of . . .

go b's

if jacobs seriously wanted to make this team better, admit the gm's mistake getting fernandez, send him to the minors,clear his money for a puck moving defenseman and raise the beer another dollar on his concessions--lol--then we can move on---rask is ready NOW!!!!!

Big bodies aren't going to do you any good if they're immobile. Give me a 6-footer who can move and pass over a 6-5 guy who's a turnstile.

Drew, not to knock Alberts (who IMHO was knocked for a terrible loop by that dirty check into the boards), but occasionally finishing a thunderous check was about the epitome of his talent. He had trouble reading plays, couldn't lug the puck out of his defensive zone with any consistency, and was't a very good passer. He might have been an OK defenseman years ago, when clutch-and-grab was part of the game, but in today's NHL, he's in trouble.

Hunwick > Alberts...and cheaper.

Plus, this opens up manuverability at the trading deadline. Do we really need to commit than kind of cap hit to a mistake-prone healthy scratch?

Good move. They're building youth, moving excess garbage, and becoming a better team. Just weird to see him go to Philly.

Drew,

Look at how many minutes someone plays. This will tell you how often they are impacting the game. For a dman... hearing their name is almost never a good thing. Alberts was a very good open ice hitter, and he improved his board work a lot in the last 10-15 games before the injury and this preseason. Generally when you hear a Dman's name in thier own zone they've either done something wrong, or are trying to fix someone elses screw up. Look at Stuart the last two games. He was victimized by his D-partner and has had to choose between taking a penalty and allowing unimpeded shots on goal. IIRC he broke up one 3 on 1 the other night.
Some people scoff, but the +/- is as revealing a stat as you'll find.

I'm going to go out an a limb and assume Pierre's a Habs fan.

//rask is ready NOW!!!!!//

Have you been watching him in Providence? He's OK at the moment. Just OK.

He needs to bulk up (the kid is still terribly underweight), mature, and get some experience under his belt. Calling him up and throwing him into the fire of the NHL is probably the worse thing the Bruins could do, and having him sit on the bench watching isn't much better. Let him play in Providence and work on his game.
We're talking about a kid's career, not just this year

Alberts was big and he hit. He was a very good skater. This is why he was a high draft pick. But he handled the puck like it was a grenade and got beat one on one too much for an NHL Dman. Offensively he had no skills and would never be more than a 5th or 6th dman. We have other guys....Hunwick and Lashoff with more upside who are younger.

I don't underatand what people are complaining about. There is a log jam in every position in this team. We have too many skaters and not enough roster spots. Yes Alberts is better than Hnidy but Hnidy is going to be the veteran 7th defensemen who's cheap and can sit in the press box and not hurt his game. The only thing the Bruins could use are actaul 1st line wingers which Alberts isn't going to fetch. A prospect and a 4th round pick for and extra defencemen drafter in the 6th round? Not too bad.

For the record, there are a few of Habs fans that patrol these boards, looking to piss people off. The B's ended up dumping enough salary to bring up a younger, cheaper d-man in need of seasoning who brings pretty much the same skills to the table (minus Albert's tentative play brought on by last year's hit) and a sparkplug guy like Sobotka, plus they got a fourth rounder out of the deal. Sounds like smart business to me.

Bouncer,

I thought Habs fans settled for tipping cars over and lighting things on fire?