I would think that if Hannu is actually "pegged for Providence," the one way deal would probably be a part of the negotiations with Tuukka.

Like, maybe Hannu wouldn't have signed a two way deal, and Tuukka wouldn't sign unless Hannu did.

I think, considering they both have the same agent (and share one with Timmy none-the-less), the agent was taking advantage of the fact that he represented three of and could use that to maximize the deals for all involved.

Now the above is just my attempted explaination if all four of the candidates who can actually compete for a position in Boston this year are retained.

However, I also thought I read that Chiarelli said they would most likely be shipping someone off.

SO WHO KNOWS. Personally, I'd actually rather see Hannu start in the A and FORCE Boston to bring him up with an outstanding performance. From what I saw of him in Providence at the end of last season, he was good...but not fabulous. I think he has the makings of a fabulous NHL goalie, and I'd rather him see a stream of constant playing time in Providence than have him rot on the bench in Boston.

When I remarked on the number of goaltenders in the Bruins/Providence stables to Jordan Sigalet at his ShutOut MS charity game, his feeling was that if anyone was traded away it would probably be Tim, (which would suck by the way, we LOVE Timmy!). He thought that Manny and Hannu would play the big house and he and Tuukka would handle Providence. It will be interesting to see who ends up at goalie camp in Calgary.

The fickleness of the game gets me. When Tim was hot and the Bruins were playing at playoff level, he could do no wrong, but when everyone's game fell apart and Tim's timing was off, they want him gone. Sometimes the whole picture is important, if all the pieces aren't falling together, it isn't just the fault of one. (sorry for the soapbox.)

Melissa: See, here's my thing about Hannu in the A: been there, done that. He was down in PVD for two full years, one of which was the lockout year. Tim was his cohort his rookie year - Tim had a majority of the starts - and Hannu had a rotating system of back-ups when he was the full-time starter in PVD during the lockout. He backstopped the team all the way to a game six in the third round, only to be bested by Nittymakki and the eventual Calder champions. The team would have gone further, but they were all struck down with the flu. That season's performance rightfully earned him a place in Boston out of camp in 05-06, but when we resigned Andy Raycroft, Hannu was used sparingly, even though A-Ray sucked out loud. Then Hannu got hurt and was out all the rest of the season.

He again made the team out of camp last season, and again, I believe rightfully so. Again, though, he was used sparingly, and that bothered me. Hannu has seen all he can see down at the AHL level. Now, I love the AHL, truly I do, but the talent down here, it's not as polished (yet) as it is in the NHL. He needs more minutes facing players who are, quite honestly, better. He's not going to see much of that in the AHL, unfortunately. He's reached the bottom of the barrel with the AHL. It's time for him to get a new barrel. Whether that's simply more ice time in Boston, or it's a whole other team completely, the kid needs more of a consistent challenge then what the AHL can present him with. Having him see the bulk of the starts in Providence will only hamper the development of the other prospects, such as Rask and Sigalet. At the end of last season when Hannu was assigned to Providence for the duration, it didn't help Jordan to just keep taking notes on who won faceoffs or to keep tossing other players towels. I'm not saying Hannu should see sixty starts next season, but I am saying that the kid is a better goaltender then Andy Ray ever was, and that waste started more games then not in both 03-04 and 05-06. Hannu needs some consistent time to prove himself. Not a game once every month or two, when Tim needs to sit and breathe a minute.

They will be shipping someone off. They have a logjam in net: Fernandez, Thomas, Toivonen, Sigalet, Rask, Brown. Mike Brown will probably see the ECHL again, but that still leaves three solids - Fernandez, Tim, Hannu (the one-way contract indicates that it is for the NHL only. for him to play in Providence outside of a rehab stint, he would need to sign a separate contract with Providence. This would be a violation of his contract terms with Boston)- bidding for a place in Boston. Rask will see Providence because he needs to adjust his game, and that will only come with time and minutes. Jordan will get to take notes on faceoffs again, because his handwriting is just so gosh darn pretty. If I could pick, I'd ship off Thomas- it would clear off cap space, and we wouldn't be overpaying for an adequate backup. If Fernandez is going to see sixty-plus starts, whomever he is tandemed with is going to see loads of bench time. From a business standpoint, it makes more sense to pay Hannu less (half-a-million) to do it then to pay Tim (one million plus) more to do it.

Sophie: We encourage soapboxes here. To be very honest, even when he was doing superb, I was not a Tim fan. I love love loved him when he was with Providence, but I was not as impressed with him in Boston. He -for lack of a better term- flops a lot. He does the same things that people used to fault Steve Shields for. I did not think that Tim was a good #1 goalie for Boston to rely on. And last season, the team chemistry in Boston was a mess. I am sure that did not help matters (Tim can only stop the pucks; he can't score them, too.)(Well, generally speaking.), and I could go on all day long hypothesizing where the issues within the team lay, but it'd be purely speculative.

Boston's fickle. That sentence is not designed to be an excuse, but it's fact. I don't like when goalies get blamed for losses (unless they're letting in softies, like when Chris Phillips and Ray Emery scored on themselves in the CUP FINALS, WHO DOES THAT?!?), because those are usually team efforts, much in the same way that wins are team efforts. I believe shutouts to be team efforts. I am a fan of fantastic goaltending, and I don't feel that Tim's best is good enough to get 'er done every night. And sadly, it was apparent last season when Boston didn't make the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

I do not know what this season will bring for the goalies I dig, and I am apprehensive about Fernandez. We gave up a lot for him in Petr Kalus, and his numbers don't really indicate to me that he's worth it. I really want to see Hannu show up to camp and play the way I know he can, the way I have seen him play. I want for him to show up and make Chiarelli's decision on who to ship out very easy: anyone but Hannu. I want a lot of things, though. We'll see what I actually get.

So, where are we at now that our ever-beloved Peter Chiarelli has traded Hannu to the St. Louis Blues, (who, god knows, can use him!)?!

Is it just me, or is Peter Chiarelli the biggest mistake that the Bruins have made?! He has no sense of loyalty to the players and certain no idea how hard it is to make magic between players if they are there one day and gone tomorrow. I'm voting for trading Chiarelli!!