Bruins Trade Heart & Soul D-man Adam McQuaid To Rags In Salary Dump; Tough Bastard Won Stanley Cup In 2011
That was my initial reaction upon hearing that the Bruins traded defenseman Adam McQuad. It wasn’t an evaluation of the trade but rather my gut reaction to losing a beloved member of the 2011 Stanley Cup Champions, a guy who always gave 100%, a bad motherfucker who always had his teammates’ backs, a character person on and off the ice, and a solid defenseman who was an ideal Boston Bruin for nine seasons here.
McQuaid arrived from Columbus in exchange for a 5th rounder* with little fanfare and blossomed into the type of player every team needs but doesn’t always grab the most attention or glory: the stalwart defensive defenseman. In the process, he became one of the most feared fighters in the National. Ryan Reaves might hold the title today but McQuaid is for sure on the list of contenders. But he’ll always be most beloved in these parts for providing muscle and net-front D for the Bruins squad the returned the Cup to Boston after 39 years.
As for the trade itself, it’s essentially a salary dump. Boston sent McQuaid to Manhattan for former Bruin (and 2011 Black Ace) Steve Kampfer, a 4th round pick in 2019, and a conditional 7th rounder in 2019. But most importantly to the Bruins, the team shed the last year of McQuaid’s $2.75M deal (which was well worth every penny by the way). Kamper carries a $650,000 contract and cap hit but he’d need to crack the roster in order for it to apply to the Bruins (a pretty tall task given who he needs to leapfrog) . The Bs will shave at least $2M and change to give them just a little over $5M in cap space.
So it’s a shit day on Causeway Street because we’re saying ‘bye’ to a guy who helped win it all. But business is business. The Bs ostensibly signed McQuaid’s replacement (albeit it a left shot) over the summer when they inked John Moore to a 5-year/$13.75M deal.
Thanks for everything, Quaider. Much appreciated.
*—Columbus later flipped the pick to Dallas; Dallas selected…Jamie Benn.