Bruins Trade Sobotka

On the one day I can't get to a computer, everything happens! The Bruins have traded Vladimir Sobotka, if you haven't heard, to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for defenseman David Warsofsky. Warsofsky is currently playing for the BU Terriers. He is a local kid, having grown up in Marshfield, MA.

Now, a lot of the bandwagon B's fans who praised Sobotka's name in the playoffs will immediately lash out at Peter Chiarelli for making this trade. But overall, this is a good trade for the Bruins. You look at Sobotka -- who is a restricted free agent -- and wonder what the Bruins would have needed to pay to keep him. Would that price have been worth it? Sobotka played 134 games in the past three seasons for Boston. He tallied 6 goals and 16 assists  over that time, with a rating of -16. Not very impressive. He played great in the playoffs for stretches, but that was playing center. He supposedly had some trouble adjusting to the wing. With so many qualified forwards, you really can't afford to pay Sobotka to come back and be what -- your fourth line center? Or struggle at third line wing? Bruins need cap space. This helped, and instead of letting Sobotka walk away, they got a big defensive prospect who is probably super-excited to play in his hometown.

I know you all loved the way Sobotka finished last season, but you have to understand that the dynamic of this roster has changed. Sobotka doesn't fit too well, and we were able to lock up a big defenseman as the barter reward.

Another thing to note: this trade may be a sign that Peter Chiarelli has opted to keep Marc Savard. Just speculation and nothing is definite, but that is certainly a possibility.

Boston also made qualifying offers today to restricted free agents Mark Stuart, Adam McQuaid, and Blake Wheeler.