Report: Bruins Will Part Ways With Miroslav Satan & Steve Begin

According to several internet sources, Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli has told the agents of Miroslav Satan and Steve Begin that the club is planning to head in a different direction for now. Begin was the B's fourth line center this past season, while Satan was a second-half signing who brought a good jolt off offense to the squad.

I'm not sure how I feel about this one. Begin I sort of expected to be gone. We traded for Campbell, re-signed Thornton, and re-signed Paille. That's our energy line. Those three guys. But letting Satan go -- explicitly telling him the team is heading in a different direction -- that one surprised me a little. Yes, the Bruins have a lot of forwards who can contribute. But Blake Wheeler still isn't signed and Marco Sturm might be out until close to the holidays with his knee injury. This decision by Boston tells me that they plan to use their system to fill their voids. Hell, they might not even end up signing Wheeler or Mark Stuart, both restricted free agents. They are very tight on cap space, and with guys like Joe Colbourne in their system, they may elect to fill their holes with their youth. After all, that is the strategy that has developed guys like Boychuk, Krejci, Rask, Lucic, and more. With any holes in the roster, you might expect that the Bruins will turn to their AHL unit for the pieces.

Chiarelli, in many interviews today, has seemed satisfied with the quiet day and is almost appearing satisfied with his current roster. With several of the suitors for Tim Thomas picking up goaltenders today, the chances seem more and more likely that he will be Tuukka Rask's goaltending partner this season. With dozens of Marc Savard rumors being born and dying away shortley thereafter, one might wonder if Chiarelli even has any intentions of trading Savvy at all. One report I read yesterday said that GMs around the league are really just fueling a rumor fire with Savard, hoping Chiarelli will give in. There is a possibility that the Bruins have never and will never intend to trade #91. But, I guess we'll have to wait to see whether or not that is true.