Kalman: Chiarelli Can't Count On Healthy Horton
BOSTON (CBS) -- Although it's probably a waste of energy to try to convince Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli to do more than just "tweak" his roster before next season in order to avoid another first-round playoff loss, there's one part of Chiarelli's approach to this offseason that has to change.
He has to look at the history of players with concussions and, regardless of what his own eyes and his medical staff tells him, he must approach the summer as though Nathan Horton isn't part of his team.
It seems like Chiarelli's thinking on this matter has changed once already in the last several months. When Chiarelli made his announcement April 11 that the Bruins were shutting down Horton for the rest of the season, here's what the general manager said with regard to the trade deadline:
"Yeah, I mean I think ultimately you want a goal scorer like Nathan, a guy with size that can score and shoot, you want him in the lineup. But our guys have adapted to change and I went into the [trade] deadline, thinking in the back of my head, 'Boy, I better try and get somebody if Nathan doesn't come back,' hoping and thinking he would be back, and [we could] deal with an oversupply of players if we had to. The team has responded well, and the additions have been good so that's all we can hope for right now."
Well, Chiarelli failed to pick up more than just spare parts, rather than a player on par with Horton, prior to the deadline. And we all know that Horton's absence was one of the factors most cited by the team for its early demise at the hands of the Washington Capitals.
Just a couple of weeks ago on breakup day, a couple of days after his team's Game 7 loss, Chiarelli's tune had changed in reference to Horton.
"Well, I approach it [the offseason] as he's going to be back and healthy and in a month that may change, but based on the information given now, that's my approach," the GM said. "Based on my observation, I'm making that my approach. Based on what [Horton] has told me, that's my approach. So, I mean he's, and I consider him an active player for us and when we make our assessments, when we make our decisions, that's how we approach it."
After rushing back to play in the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs, Marc Savard wasn't ready to play again until December. It then took just two hits to knock him out for good in January. Sidney Crosby didn't return until last November (an absence of 10 months) and then had to sit another three months after playing just eight games.
I don't think we have to rehash all the setbacks players returning from concussions have had to overcome or failed to conquer. These are just two of the higher-profile examples.
Maybe Chiarelli's thought is that with the continued improvement of Tyler Seguin plus an influx of prospects likes Jared Knight, Ryan Spooner and even offensive-minded defenseman Dougie Hamilton (who some don't project as an NHL point-producer), the Bruins are covered should Horton fail to make a return.
But why risk it? After all, Horton was concussed for the first time with the Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final. When the 2011-12 season started, it took him nearly two months to "feel himself" as he put it. If it took him that long after the first injury, there's no telling how long it will take him to find his form after missing what will be eight months come training camp in September.
The uncertainty over the collective bargaining agreement might cloud the Bruins' salary-cap situation. However, they have space to use and assets that can be moved to make space. Should prices remain too high for the Bruins, as they were at the trade deadline, to find a Horton replacement, fine. Expecting that when the 2012-13 season opens Horton will be back in 30-goal, fearsome-forechecker mode, never mind fully healthy, though, is a plan that could leave the Bruins with a glaring hole that could've been avoided.
Matt Kalman covers the Bruins for CBSBoston.com. He operatesTheBruinsBlog.net and also contributes coverage to NHL.com and several other media outlets. Follow him on twitter @TheBruinsBlog.
