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Price per head - Onshore Bookmakers
Bruins reportedly set with second choice
By Steve Conroy
After a courtship with Ray Shero blew up in their faces, the Bruins moved quickly to make sure Peter Chiarelli didn’t get away from them, too, as they agreed last night to a deal with the Ottawa Senators assistant general manager to fill their vacant GM post, according to a source.
The only thing that held up the deal yesterday was compensation that the Bruins had to fork over to Ottawa for Chiarelli. At a hastily called league meeting to sort out the issue, it was agreed that the B’s would surrender a third-round draft pick. It was not clear last night whether that would be a 2006 pick or one from a future draft.
Bruins vice president Charlie Jacobs returned a call shortly after getting off a New York-to-Boston plane, but he remained tight-lipped on the process.
"The Bruins went to New York to seek league guidance regarding one of our candidates," Jacobs said. "No formal hearing occurred."
With the way this process has unfolded, it might be prudent for the workers at TD Banknorth Garden to wait for a formal announcement before stenciling Chiarelli’s name on the GM’s door -- but it certainly seems like a done deal at this point.
Chiarelli and Shero had been identified as the front-runners for the position that opened with the March 26 firing of Mike O’Connell, then Shero took the lead earlier this week. Sometime Wednesday, the deal fell apart when Shero had issues with money, length of contract and control, according to sources.
The B’s then turned to Chiarelli, a former Harvard captain, and the deal, apparently, got done last night with a little "guidance" from the league.
Shero, meanwhile, wasted little time in landing on his feet. He was introduced yesterday as the new GM of the Pittsburgh Penguins, telling reporters there that he’d actually agreed to the five-year deal (he was only offered four by the Bruins, according to a source) Wednesday afternoon. One source had his Pittsburgh salary at just under $800,000.
With regards to his dealings with the Bruins, Shero took the high road, both in Pittsburgh and in speaking with the Tennessean.
"Every time you make a decision like that, it can impact your life and a franchise. But I appreciated the opportunity," Shero told the Tennessean. "(The Bruins) interviewed me and I interviewed them. It was a great process and I’m very thankful for it."
He did address the issue of control, though not in response to a specific question about the B’s situation.
"I think there’s a great upside (in Pittsburgh)," Shero told the Tennessean. "You’ve got two of the best players in the game to start off with. And I’ve got full control of the hockey operations, which is very important to me. They’ve entrusted me with that and it means a lot. I felt right that at the end of the day, (Pittsburgh) was the best place to be for my family and from a hockey standpoint."
Though Shero is expected to have complete control moving forward, it should be duly noted he was already told that he was inheriting coach Michel Therrien in Pittsburgh, with which he apparently had no problem.
The Penguins do have a Calder Trophy candidate Sidney Crosby and young goaltender Marc-Andre Fluery. They also have Russian star Evgeni Malkin on his way to the NHL and own the No. 2 pick in next month’s draft.
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