Bruins increase depth on deadline Wednesday, add veterans Recchi and Montador to roster

    In the week before the trade deadline, it was rumored that the Boston Bruins were in trade talks with the Anaheim Ducks to acquire All-Star defenseman Chris Pronger. Those talks were ultimately fruitless, but the Bruins still executed some moves in an attempt to gear up for a deep playoff run.
    The Bruins acquired forward Mark Recchi and a second-round draft pick from the Tampa Bay Lightning in return for forward Martins Karsums and defenseman Matt Lashoff. The 41-year-old Recchi has played for six teams in his career and is enjoying a resurgent season with 45 points in 62 games. The Bruins acquired him for his veteran leadership and to provide some extra secondary offense, and because the cost for Boston was low. Karsums is an AHL superstar and Lashoff's development has gone sorely off track, so neither will be particularly missed. A high-second-round draft pick returning is the icing on the cake.
    Earlier in the day, the Bruins traded checking-line winger Petteri Nokelainen to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Steve Montador. Montador is another veteran with playoff experience. He has seen a bit of an offensive surge in the past two years, although nobody would ever mistake him for an offensive defenseman. A solid presence at the back end of a defense, he will supplant either Mark Stuart or Shane Hnidy on the third pairing.