The Atlantic Division won't see the last of some of the Boston Bruins' former faces, but getting them all out of Beantown is good news for every team. The Bruins have been a dominant force in the Eastern Conference for the past 15 years, but all they'll have to show for it is one Stanley Cup and a couple of other Stanley Cup Final appearances. From a Montreal Canadiens standpoint, it'll suck to be a contender as the Bruins begin their rebuild, as we won't get the classic rivalry for awhile. However, it's one less team the Canadiens have to pass on their way to contention.
The Bruins-Canadiens rivalry lost some steam recently because of the Canadiens' rebuild. The Toronto Maple Leafs emerged as the Bruins' rival after many playoff series, but that will also go by the wayside as Boston endures some years of pain. It'll be a bit of a culture shock in the Atlantic, but it allows the Canadiens-Ottawa Senators and Canadiens-Leafs rivalry to pick up some more steam.
The Bruins needed to clean house, but what they did over the last few days at the trade deadline was a sight to behold. It started when they moved out long-time bottom-six forward Trent Frederic, and then traded Justin Brazeau late Thursday night. Boston was quiet for most of Friday's deadline day, until they went on a trading spree in the final hour.
Boston began by trading Charlie Coyle to the Colorado Avalanche for Casey Middelstadt, Will Zellers, and a draft pick. It was a good haul for the veteran center who has been slowing down, but it didn't top the return they received for defenseman Brandon Carlo. Carlo is a polarizing blueliner amongst the Bruins fanbase, as he was a big body and a physical force, but hardly ever used it and has some injury history. He will now slot into the Leafs' blueline for the next two seasons and hope to be the missing piece for this year's playoff run.
The most significant move of the day miraculously received the smallest return. Bruins' captain and longest-standing member Brad Marchand has been out of their lineup with an upper-body injury. It looks like the lasting memory of Marchand in a Boston jersey will him getting helped off the ice by his trainer and David Pastrnak. He will be out of the lineup for another 3-4 weeks according to Don Sweeney, but it won't be the Bruins lineup in which he returns.
The Bruins sent him to the Florida Panthers for a conditional second-round pick in the dying minutes of the deadline. Marchand's injury complicated the return, as there's no gurantee he will get in the Panthers lineup in time for the postseason. The parties have also been far apart in contract extension talks, so it makes sense to accrue some kind of asset for him. If Marchand missed the remainder of the season, there was a chance it was our last time seeing him in a Bruins sweater regardless.
The Bruins that the Habs battled with over the last decade and a half are no more. There are officially no players remaining from their last Stanley Cup-winning team. Unfortunate for Bruins fans, but great news for the rest of the Atlantic Division.