WILMINGTON, Mass. -- These days, it’s rare for a player in any sport to remain with one team his entire career.
Sure, there are exceptions, but it’s almost inevitable that a player will wear more than one uniform during his career. There are many reasons why a player is traded. Sometimes his personality no longer fits in the locker room and the chemistry has fizzled.
But in the case of Johnny Boychuk, the NHL salary cap was to blame in preventing the Bruins from keeping the veteran defenseman in Boston.
So, on Oct. 4, only a few days before the 2014-15 season began, Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli traded Boychuk to the New York Islanders in exchange for a pair of second-round draft picks and a conditional pick.
On Thursday, Johnny’s back.
The Bruins will host their former teammate and the Islanders Thursday night at TD Garden. Many Bruins players talked about how weird it would be to play against Boychuk.
“It’ll be awkward,” said Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg, who was Boychuk’s defensive partner in Boston. “I’ve played with him for a while, some guys have played with him for five-plus years, so it’s definitely going to be a little bit of a different feeling when guys forecheck him and have to hit him, or when I stand in front of the net and he shoots. It’ll be different, but at the end it’s all about winning a hockey game and focusing on that.”
During his tenure in Boston, Boychuk made his presence felt on the ice and in the locker room, where he was one of the most-liked players. Teammates enjoyed his personality and sense of humor.
On the ice, he produced a booming shot from the point. Former Bruins teammate, and current Florida Panther, Shawn Thornton would describe Boychuk’s shot as “tickling the rafters” when he wound up.
Boychuk would play through adversity or pain, sometimes both. Teammates loved how he played and he was one of many reasons why the Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2011 and returned to the finals in 2013.
“He’s a good team guy and an easy guy to like for players and coaches,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “He came in and played a big role in our Stanley Cup run. Many thought he would be an American Leaguer and we traded for him. He stepped up and became a real reliable defenseman in this league, obviously a good defenseman.”
The day Boychuk was traded, the Bruins hosted the Detroit Red Wings in the final preseason game. Afterward, it felt like a wake in the Bruins’ locker room. Players were devastated about the trade, even though they all knew it was a strong possibility that Chiarelli would deal Boychuk due to cap constraints.
During his news conference announcing the trade, Chiarelli admitted the move was met with some displeasure.
“How does it impact our team? He was well liked, and I’m sure the guys are bummed and they’re probably a little bit bummed at me for doing it,” Chiarelli said at the time. “It’s about making the team better now, tomorrow, the next day and the next day. Arguably, this doesn’t make us better now, obviously, but it’s something, when I look at it in a series of steps, I think it was the right move.”
Julien’s philosophy is built on defense, so when he lost one of his most consistent blueliners, even the coach wasn’t pleased. But Julien understands this is how the game sometimes needs to operate in a salary-cap era and he doesn’t blame Chiarelli.
After Wednesday’s practice at Ristuccia Arena, Julien again was asked to describe Boychuk’s contributions during his career in Boston.
“We lost a good person, a good player. You’re always happy he’s doing well, of course you’re going to hear us say ‘except against us,’” Julien said. “I don’t think there’s anybody here who wishes anything but the best for him, and then you move on.
“That’s what we’re tying to do and he’s done the same thing. He seems to have done that and when you look at his start, he’s had a good start with that team as well.”
In his first six games for the Islanders, Boychuk has two goals and four assists for six points. His team is 4-2-0, tied for the Metropolitan Division lead entering play Wednesday.
He will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end and likely will land a deal worth upward of $6 million per season. That is too expensive for Boston’s payroll. Clearly the Bruins wanted to keep Boychuk, but it wasn’t financially viable in today’s salary-cap era.