The Bruins have announced that they have struck a deal with the Florida Panthers involving Dennis Wideman and Nathan Horton. The Bruins will send Wideman, the 15th pick in Friday's draft and a 3rd round pick in 2011 to the Florida Panthers in exchange for right wing Nathan Horton and center Gregory Campbell.
Bruins get:
Gregory Campbell
Center
6-0
197
Dec 17, 1983
Panthers get:
Dennis Wideman
Defenseman
6-0
196
Mar 20, 1983
1st Round Pick in 2010 Draft (15th overall)
3rd Round Pick in 2011 Draft
Nathan Horton posted 20-37-57 totals in 65 games with Florida last season. He has never scored fewer than 20 goals in a season since the has been with Panthers full-time starting in '05-'06. There have been some questions about Horton's work ethic, but hopefully it was just a case of a guy wanting to get out of a bad situation in Florida and the new zip code will change his mindset. Horton is slated to make $4 million with a $4 million cap hit next season and is locked up until the end of the '12-'13 season. According to Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli, "Nathan is a big powerful young man. He is 25 years old and has scored over 30 goals once and over 20 goals in five consecutive seasons. He is a shooter who plays a power game."
Gregory Campbell is a bit of a throw-in in this deal. He will likely see time on the 4th line, if the Bruins decide to sign him. Campbell is a restricted free agent right now. The 26-year-old forward finished the year with 17 points (2-15-17) in 60 games. Probably, the best part about Campbell coming to Boston is that his old man will have to excuse himself from disciplinary decisions involving the Bruins. Chiarelli praised Campbell's two-way game and versatility saying, "Gregory is a hard-nosed smart two way player. He is strong in his zone and can play a variety of roles."
Overall, I think this trade makes the Bruins a better team right now. There probably will be some pretty good players left at #15, but most would be a few years away from making an impact at the NHL level. The Bruins desperately needed scoring and Horton can give you a boost in that department. He might not pump in 40 goals a year, but you are pretty much guaranteed that he will score somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 goals. He is also still only 25 years old and has time develop as a player.
From a salary cap standpoint, the deal is a wash. The Bruins moved Dennis Wideman's $4 million contract ($3.85 million cap hit) and the Panthers moved Horton $4 million contract.