To cap a day in which he turned his lineup upside down, Holmgren signed Ilya Bryzgalov — the Flyers had acquired the negotiating rights to the goalie from Phoenix earlier this month — to a nine-year, $51 million contract.
“No,’’ Chiarelli said when asked if he expected such a dramatic alteration. “But I respect Paul Holmgren as a manager. When they shake things up, they shake things up.’’
While Holmgren laid a sledgehammer to his roster, Chiarelli, the architect of the 2011 Cup-winning team, stood pat. Yesterday, Chiarelli held meetings with his scouts and management colleagues. He had a conversation with Rick Curran, Tomas Kaberle’s agent (he declined to disclose the nature of the talks). Following the day’s work, Chiarelli and his team retired to a local steak house where the Cup, delivered from Las Vegas to Minneapolis, served as the centerpiece.
The day was calm. That’s because last year around this time, Chiarelli did his dealings, albeit in a quieter fashion than Holmgren. In the weeks before the draft, at the annual meat market itself, and in the following days, the Bruins laid the foundation for the roster that would win the Cup.
On June 4, 2010, Shawn Thornton agreed to a two-year, $1.625 million extension. A day later, Chiarelli signed Dennis Seidenberg to a four-year, $13 million contract.
On June 22, the Bruins acquired Nathan Horton and Gregory Campbell from Florida for Dennis Wideman, the 15th pick in the 2010 draft, and their 2011 third-rounder. Two days later, Johnny Boychuk signed a two-year, $3.75 million extension. On June 25, the Bruins drafted Tyler Seguin with the No. 2 selection, the first chip of the Phil Kessel trade.
In just three weeks, the Bruins had locked down their enforcer, No. 2 defenseman, top-line right wing, fourth-line center, second-pairing defenseman, and a future breakout star. Of all the pieces, the most important to accomplish before the draft was landing Horton and Campbell.
“I didn’t want it dragging through the draft period,’’ Chiarelli said. “Things get muddied. Picks start flying around. You lose your deal.’’
