The Boston Bruins traded a veteran defenseman to Carolina Friday. That deal -- involving Aaron Ward -- appeared at the time to be a salary cap maneuver.While that's not terribly inaccurate, a subsequent signing by the Bruins shows that the deal wasn't about clearing cap space as much as it was about attempting to upgrade the position. Boston moved on from Ward quickly, signing Derek Morris to a one-year deal.
The Bruins say Morris -- who ran the Rangers' second power play unit after a deadline deal rescued him from Phoenix -- has a "good offensive skill set". Morris is definitely perceived to be stronger than Ward in the offensive game, even though he only had two more goals than Ward last season.
Morris is a pretty good fit on a Boston team that already has two solid offensive defensemen in captain Zdeno Chara and Dennis Wideman. This move will be questioned some, if only because the up-against-the-cap Bruins are paying Morris nearly $1 million more than Ward was scheduled to make. Theoretically, Boston isn't done dealing for good, because if they wish to re-sign forward Phil Kessel, they're going to have to make a move somewhere on the roster.
