Past: Andrew Ference & Nathan Horton

Andrew Ference was a class act on and off the ice for the Boston Bruins. He really went out of his way to immerse himself as member of the community. Whether it was serving food at soup kitchens or even stopping and talking with fans on the street he was always polite and willing to share his time with us Normal Joes. You could not ask for more in a team leader. He always united and lead the team through his playoff jackets/chains as well as giving fans behind-the-scenes insight with his Twitter account @Ferknuckle. My favorite on-ice Andrew Ference moment will always be scoring his tying goal in Game 6 in Montreal back in 2011 and his subsequent ‘equipment malfunction’. If that is not a way to endear yourself to Bruins fans everywhere I don’t know what does. So long Andrew Ference, you will be missed and you will always be a Bruin.

Nathan Horton informed the Bruins this weekend that he will be looking for a “new beginning” and he will be moving on. I will always look back fondly on the playoff heroics of Nathan Horton. Including when he was injured when Nathan Horton poured water on the ice in Vancouver. His playoff game winner against Montreal will be burned into my mind as a turning point when I knew that Bruins team would be something special. All I knew my entire life watching and believing in the Bruins was that, when it comes to playing Montreal in the playoffs, we always lose. That is, until Nathan Horton scored in Game 7 in overtime. Thanks for the memories Horty.

Present: Tyler Seguin

All weekend BruinsBeliever found myself checking my phone all weekend because every time I looked, there was a new trade rumor that included Tyler Seguin. My first thought was that the Bruins were only using trade talks as motivation for Tyler Seguin to get his ass in gear this off-season. I agree that a message needed to be sent to Seguin because his post-season performance was completely unacceptable for someone making over 6 million dollars per year. Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli all but confirmed that the Boston Bruins were actively shopping him prior to Nathan Horton’s announcement that he will not return. Chiarelli also had this gem of a quote regarding Seguin: “He needs to focus all his mind and energy on hockey. He needs to be a better pro.” That quote makes it crystal clear that the Bruins were dissatisfied at how Seguin handled himself in the off-season last year and that they thought he got a little lazy after signing the big contract. Seguin could be playing for with his Boston Bruins career on the line next season, and I hope he shows some urgency.

The Future: Linus Arnesson and Vincent Lecavalier?

Once the top 10 picks of the draft went by, and Tyler Seguin took a deep breath knowing he was still a Bruin, it was clear that the Bruins were not going to do any trading up and would be stuck with their first pick of the draft being at the end of the 2nd round, pick 60. There, the Bruins selected Linus Arnesson from Sweden. I will be honest and say that my subscription to Swedish League Hockey expired, so I have not seen Arnesson play with my own eyes. I can only share with you what I have read. He is a big defenseman who usually makes smart plays with the puck. He is also an offensive minded defenseman which should help him in an organization filled with stonewall defense-first defenseman.  He is still many years away but it is always fun to think about how he could fit on the Bruins down the line.

Vincent Lecavalier would be an immediate fix to a hole in the Bruins top forward line. The Boston Bruins had a secret meeting with Lecavalier and his agent over the draft weekend. Although he has been a center his throughout most of his career, he has expressed willingness to move over to wing. He doesn’t have much speed left in the tank but he as plenty of creativity left and would be a welcome addition to the Bruins, especially on the power play.

BruinsBeliever is looking forward to following the Bruins this off-season as free agency is coming. Don’t forget to follow BruinsBeliever on Twitter for all of the latest updates.