After making their respective pitches this morning at an arbitration hearing in Toronto, both Blake Wheeler and the Boston Bruins will know within the next 48 hours whether or not the 23-year-old winger will be returning to the Black and Gold in 2010-11 or preparing to shop his services as an unrestricted free agent.

Wheeler and his agent, Matt Keator, got the first crack at highlighting the Minnesota native’s strengths in the hearing. Wheeler has potted 39 goals and registered a total of 83 points throughout his first two campaigns in Boston. The 6-foot-5 forward had a remarkable first half during his rookie season in Boston, displaying great chemistry with linemates David Krejci and Michael Ryder. Since the B’s sensational run leading up to the midway point of the 2008-09 season, however, Wheeler has proven prone to prolonged stretches of inconsistent hockey. The former University of Minnesota standout, after bulking up in preparation for his second NHL season, endured a wildly-frustrating sophomore slump.

The B’s likely relied heavily on that fact in their hopes of minimizing the soon-to-be awarded salary. Wheeler also struggled mightily in each of the past two postseasons, picking up just one goal in a combined 21 playoff tilts. While Keator doesn’t foresee Peter Chiarelli and the Bruins walking away from the promising winger, something Chiarelli did elect to do in the case of defenseman David Tanabe a few years back, he might be in for a surprise if his client winds up being as overvalued as Atlanta’s Clarke MacArthur was last week. MacArthur, a veteran of 208 NHL games who picked up 16 goals in 2009-10 with the Sabres and Thrashers, was set free when Atlanta scoffed at the $2.4 million dollar salary he was awarded.

Wheeler’s fate will likely trigger the first step toward a resolution to the current cap dilemma the Bruins’ brass must solve. With prized draft pick Tyler Seguin still unsigned, it’s no secret that some sort of maneuvering will need to be done prior to opening night. Whether Wheeler remains in town or gets the cold shoulder, Chiarelli and company will have a far better idea of just how much salary must be shed by October.

Barring any late-summer trades, the Bruins blue line appears set. For one year at least.

Restricted free agent defenseman Mark Stuart re-signed with the club last night, agreeing to a new one-year deal worth $1.675 million. Stuart and Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli discussed the deal today, and why they opted for the short-term fix rather than pursuing a multi-year deal.

“I look at it as a bridge contract to something more,” said Chiarelli. “He’s a UFA (unrestricted free agent) next year, so we’ll evaluate during the year and we may extend him during the year. … We have a little more flexibility next year.”

The last part may be the most important factor, as the Bruins are pressed perilously close to the cap limit and still need to find a way to re-sign forwards Blake Wheeler and Gregory Campbell, who both filed for arbitration, as well as coming to terms with No. 2 overall pick Tyler Seguin. With those moves already likely to force Chiarelli to work some magic to get everyone in under the cap, don’t expect any more new faces to be added from outside the organization this offseason.

“Right now we’re standing pat,” said Chiarelli while observing this week’s Development Camp at Ristuccia Arena. “You look out here, there might be a few guys that are going to challenge (for a spot with the big club) too. I like our depth, our prospect depth. Right now I’m standing pat. That may change, but right now I’m standing pat.”

But if youngsters like first-round picks Joe Colborne and Jordan Caron or others force their way onto the Boston roster this fall, Chiarelli will have to clear some salaries to make cap space for them. “Well, then I’ll have to make a move,” said Chiarelli when asked about the possibility.

Chiarelli spent more time talking about happier subjects, like what Stuart brings to the lineup.

“Stewie’s a high-character player,” said Chiarelli. “He had a few injuries this year, but he came back after that hand infection and he added to our lineup. Even before that, going back to when he first injured his hand it was coming off a great hit. He had to answer the call against LA, so his injuries even speak to his character. We’re happy to have him in the mix.”

Stuart played all 82 games in each of his first two seasons in Boston, but was limited to just 56 games this past year as he spent three separate stints on injured reserve with a broken sternum, a broken finger and a serious hand infection. Speaking on a conference call with reporters, Stuart stated that all the injuries have healed and that he finished with his antibiotics for the infection just a few weeks after the season ended.

Still, coming off such an injury-plagued season, Stuart sounded resigned to accepting just a one-year deal, especially considering the club’s cap situation.

“I’m very excited about the deal. I expected after the season that I had that if I was going to get a deal, it was probably going to be a one-year deal, then see how I played,” said Stuart. “Hopefully I can have a great year this year and hopefully a long-term deal is in the future.”

Despite the injuries, Stuart, 26, still managed 103 hits and 82 blocked shots this year, along with 2-5-7 totals, 80 PIMs and six fighting majors.

“I was very happy with how I played when I got in there,” said Stuart. “Obviously, unfortunately (there were) some injuries and stuff out of your control. But I mean, that stuff happens. It’s part of the game, and unfortunately, I think it gets factored in. I think that’s fair. I think it should. If you’re going to get a long-term deal, you have to earn it, and try to play as close to a complete year as you can.

“Our team is different,” added Stuart. “You guys know just as well as I do the makeup of our team and our cap issues and stuff like that. So I definitely wasn’t expecting anything long-term this year, but like I said, if I can earn a long-term deal by playing really well this year, then I’ll be very happy with it.”

Peter Chiarelli described it as “a quiet day all around.”

That was true for the Bruins, if not for the rest of the NHL. While the opening day of the free agency period featured the usual bevy of activity (CapGeek.com listed the tally at 45 contracts signed for 110 years and $297,235,000), Boston did little to contribute to that total. The Bruins brought back Daniel Paille for a modest sum of $2.15 million over two years and also added another familiar face in Jeremy Reich, though he’s likely ticketed for Providence.

But Boston didn’t have the cap space to go after any of the big names available, and nothing developed on the trade front. That leaves the Bruins roster largely the same as last year, though the additions of Nathan Horton and Tyler Seguin are sure to help up front and the defense will have to adjust to the loss of Dennis Wideman. Chiarelli said he would be comfortable going into the season with the roster as is, but hasn’t given up on making further moves.

“You’re never happy, you always want to improve,” said Chiarelli in a conference call this evening. “I really like the fact that we added Nathan Horton. I liked the fact that we were able to get a player – and I don’t want to put too much emphasis on Tyler (Seguin) at the beginning but he’s going to be a real good player. You know lost some puck moving in our back end but I think Johnny Boychuk has come a long way. I think Matt Hunwick is going to turn the corner. I think Andrew Ference when he’s healthy will be good. I think Stu (Mark Stuart) is going to have a good year. I like the fact that we added Dennis Seidenberg, so I mean a lot of what we did was preemptive of this day. So if you look at it we’ve added Dennis Seidenberg, we’ve added Johnny Boychuk, Horton and a young player (Seguin) who will come into his own and help us in short order.”

The Bruins are mighty tight up against the cap, but Chiarelli remains confident he can get restricted free agents Stuart, Blake Wheeler and Greg Campbell signed without moving another player to free up cap space.

“I think we can get them back into the mix,” said Chiarelli “It might be a little tight but I think we’re in a pretty good spot and again, I look to what they’re asking and how we assess our other players and how they fit into our mix, but I think we’re in a pretty decent spot right now.”

Chiarelli is also comfortable leaving his goaltending as is and going into the season with Tuukka Rask and Tim Thomas both returning. That’s a good thing, since the trade market for Thomas has seemingly dried up with Tampa Bay (Dan Ellis), San Jose (Antero Niittymaki) and Atlanta (Chris Mason) all opting for cheaper alternatives in free agency (Chiarelli described it as “some goalies took a haircut from what they had been earning”) and Philadelphia using up its remaining cap space to upgrade its defense (Andrej Meszaros, Sean O’Donnell and re-signing Braydon Coburn).

“I’m comfortable with our goaltending duo,” said Chiarelli. “There will be an intense competition I know and that’s the way we had planned it. I’m comfortable with it and I’m not saying it’s going to end up that way, but I’m certainly comfortable with it if it is.”

The Bruins also appear set up front with Paille back in the fold and Horton and Seguin added. They could still deal Marc Savard, but any other free agent signings are on the backburner for now.

“Well, I have to leave some spots for competition for the younger guys so right now, if there’s not something in the trade market, I would say yes I’m probably done shopping,” said Chiarelli. “I spoke with Beige (Steve Begin), Beige’s agent. I spoke with Miro (Miroslav Satan)’s agent. I said hey, we might come back at some point depending on what happens, but right now we’re in a holding pattern as far as adding forwards.”

Paille was the exception to that, and Chiarelli explained why it was so important to keep him around.

“I thought when we acquired Dan, he really helped shore up our penalty killing,” said Chiarelli. “He brought speed to the lineup, to the forward group. He also was able to play up and down the lineup, so he was helpful when we ran into injuries.”

The annual hockey holiday that comes with the opening of the free agent signing period each July 1 has finally arrived, and there’s been no lack of action in the early going.

As expected, the Bruins have not been players in the UFA market, other than re-signing Daniel Paille. That’s not a surprise considering how little cap space the Bruins have available and the fact that GM Peter Chiarelli has characterized this free agent class as particularly thin.

That hasn’t stopped his fellow GMs from wading in with their usual gusto, however, as the signings are coming fast and furious. Check back here throughout the day for updates on all the moves and how they will impact the Bruins.

Goalie options going fast

The Bruins are still open to trading Tim Thomas, but most teams interested in acquiring a goalie seem to be using free agency to fill the need instead of giving up assets for a guy like Thomas, who also holds an imposing $5 million cap hit for the next three years.

So far, Tampa Bay, which had earlier been rumored to have interest in Thomas, has signed Dan Ellis (2 years, $3 million; $1.5 million cap hit). Ellis had been acquired by the Canadiens in the Sergei Kostitsyn deal, but the Habs were unable to sign him before he became a UFA. Montreal then turned around and signed Alex Auld (1 year, $1 million). That makes Carey Price the definite No. 1 in Montreal. The Habs also added some extra insurance by resigning Curtis Sanford to a one year, two-way deal ($550,000 NHL/$200,000 AHL). San Jose, another popular landing spot for Thomas in many a trade rumor, signed Antero Niittymaki (2 years, $4 million; $2 million cap hit). And the Rangers have snagged Martin Biron (2 years, $1.75 million; $875,000 cap hit).

UPDATE: Scratch Atlanta off the list of potential landing spots for Thomas as well, as the Thrashers have signed Chris Mason for two years and $3.7 million ($1.85 million cap hit). Old friend Andrew Raycroft has landed a new gig in Dallas, while Johan Hedberg gets the cushiest job in North America as Martin Broduer’s new backup in New Jersey.

What’s it mean for the Bruins? There are less suitors out there for Thomas, and a lot less cheap alternatives to sign to back up Rask if Thomas were to be dealt. The Bruins might need to take a goalie back in any Thomas deal now to shore up the position. One possibility that could remain in play later in the summer is Philadelphia, even though the Flyers re-signed Michael Leighton yesterday. The Flyers could send Brian Boucher (Woonsocket, RI) back to Boston if they decide another year of the Leighton/Boucher tandem isn’t good enough.

Blue light specials on the blue line

Teams aren’t wasting any time in locking up defensive help. Former Bruin Sergei Gonchar was among the first players to sign, agreeing to a three-year deal worth $16.5 million ($5.5 million cap hit) with Ottawa. Pittsburgh didn’t waste time replacing him, signing both Zbynek Michalek (5 yyears, $20 million; $4 million cap hit) and Paul Martin (5 years, $25 million; $5 million cap hit). Phoenix lost Michalek, but did re-sign ex-Bruin Derek Morris (4 years, $11 million; $2.75 cap hit). The flyers have also been very active, re-signing Braydon Coburn and acquiring Andrej Meszaros from Tampa Bay for a second-round pick, then signing former Bruin Sean O’Donnell (1 year, $1 million). The Bruins won’t have to worry about Toni Lydman in the division anymore, as the now ex-Sabre has signed with Anaheim (3 years, $9 million; $3 million cap hit). Buffalo has also lost Henrik Tallinder, who signed with the Devils for four years and $13.5 million ($3.375 cap hit). He’ll try to fill Martin’s skates in New Jersey.

UPDATE: Tallinder will have help replacing Martin, as the Devils have landed an even bigger fish, reeling in Anton Volchenkov for six years and $25.5 million ($4.25 million cap hit). The other big name on defense is also off the board with Dan Hamhuis striking it rich in Vancouver (6 years, $27 million; $4.5 million cap hit). The Canucks now have a surplus of blueliners and could be looking to deal. Kevin Bieksa is a name to watch who could be of interest to the B’s. Also, Kurtis Foster signed with Edmonton (2 years, $3.6 million; $1.8 million cap hit). The Sabres start to restock their blue line by signing Jordan Leopold to a three-year deal.

What’s it mean for the Bruins? The Bruins might be seeking some help on defense, but they haven’t added anyone yet. Rumors persist about a potential Marc Savard for Robyn Regehr swap with Calgary, but nothing credible has surfaced on that front. Boston can still fill out its depth chart by re-signing restricted free agents Mark Stuart and Adam McQuaid, with youngster Yuri Alexandrov also a possibility to push for a job with a good camp. With Morris re-signing in Phoenix, the Bruins will get the Coyotes’ third-round pick in 2011 to complete their trade from the deadline.

Scorers on the move

So far still no movement on the Ilya Kovalchuk front, but some second-tier scoring help has been scooped up. Alex Tanguay (1 year, $1.7 million) is heading back to Calgary and Ray Whitney has gone out West to Phoenix for two years and $6 million. That’s a $3 million cap hit that the Coyotes can’t escape as it’s an over-35 contract. The biggest name to sign so far did not change addresses, as former Vermont star Martin St. Louis has re-upped with Tampa Bay (4 years, $22.5 million; $5.625 cap hit).

UPDATE: In maybe the strangest deal of the day, Olli Jokinen is headed back to Calgary, a two-year, $6-million head-scratcher for sure. Meanwhile, the exodus of Cup champs continues with Chicago sending Andrew Ladd to Atlanta for prospect Ivan Vishnevsky and a second-round pick. Saku Koivu stays put in Anaheim for ywo years and $5 million ($2.5 million cap hit), while Matt Cullen moves to Minnesota (3 years, $10.5 million; $3.5 million cap hit).

What’s it mean for the Bruins? Not much to the this point. The Bruins licked the tires on Whitney at the trade deadline but balked at the asking price. They didn’t have the cap space to revisit that interest this summer. Where Kovalchuk lands could change the balance of power in either conference, but it may take a while for someone to come up with an offer good enough to lock him up.

Tough guys muscle in on the fun

While the top scorers remain on the market, the elite pugilists are going faster. The Flyers, who had plenty of toughness last year but no true heavyweight, stayed true to their tradition of toughness by signing Jody Shelley (3 years, $3.3 million; $1.1 million cap hit) away from the rival Rangers. Shelley’s strong all-around play down the stretch with New York after coming over from San Jose no doubt raised his value, but it has to be seen if he can contribute beyond fighting over the course of a full season. With Shelley gone, the Rangers responded by signing Derek Boogaard. He’s the most feared fighter in the league, but the deal the Rangers gave him (4 years, $6.5 million; $1.625 cap hit) might frighten capologists more than his fists frighten fellow fighters. New York just waived Donald Brashear (signed last year to a two-year, $2.8-million deal) for the purposes of buying him out, which leaves a lot of money tied up in tough guys (with Brandon Prust also a restricted free agent needing to be re-signed).

UPDATE: Tampa gets involved in the arms race by re-signing 6-foot-8, 258-pound monster Mitch Fritz, though he’s likely ticketed to the AHL once again. He spent last year with the Lightning’s AHL team in Norfolk, but did play 20 games with the Islanders the previous season. Calgary doubled up on the fun, signing both Raitis Ivanans (2 years, $1.2 million; $600,000 cap hit) and Tim Jackman (2 years, $1.1 million; $550,000 cap hit), while Chicago finally added toughness after jettisoning most of its grit for cap relief, as the Blackhawks sign John Scott for two years.

What’s it mean for the Bruins? Shawn Thornton will have his work cut out for him, with Shelley staying in the East and the Boogey Man joining the conference. It might be worth a minimal investment in a true heavyweight to serve as a spare forward. Maybe a guy like Steve MacInytre, who is familiar with the system from having played a year in Providence, could be a fit for occasional duty when needed. The Bruins did add some insurance for Thornton by signing Jeremy Reich to a two-way deal, but he’s a light-heavyweight at best at 6-1, 203 and shouldn’t be trading punches with the likes of Boogaard.

Role players rolling in the dough

It’s not just the stars that can cash in on free agency. Teams can also fill some less heralded but often equally important roles on lower lines, and just as they do with the big-time scorers, NHL GMs often can’t help but overpay for some of these guys. So far, the most notable to cash in have been Manny Malhotra, who goes to Vancouver for $7.5 million over three years ($2.5 cap hit), and feisty Colby Armstrong, who goes to Toronto (3 years, $9 million; $3 million cap hit).

UPDATES: The Blackhawks are now without any semblance of grit or toughness, as Adam Burish takes his hatred of Chris Pronger to Dallas for two years and $2.3 million, while Colin Fraser signs with Edmonton (2 years, $1.65 million; $825,000 cap hit). Montreal has already added Dustin Boyd (1 year, $650,000) and Eric Nystrom heads to Minnesota (3 years, $1.4 million cap hit). Also, St. Louis has signed Vladimir Sobotka for $750,000.

What’s it mean for the Bruins? This is one area the Bruins could get involved, and they did to an extent by re-signing Paille. They can’t afford to overpay with their limited cap space, but could jump in on a bargain after the first big wave of money being thrown around has dried up and some solid options remain available.

It’s one of the biggest days in hockey every year, part of the triumvirate of secular hockey holidays. The entry draft, trade deadline and July 1 opening of the free agency period are the three primary dates clubs can change their fortunes.

The Bruins have already benefited from the trade market, albeit not at the deadline, with the acquisition of Nathan Horton and from the draft, where they landed Tyler Seguin with the second overall pick as the fruits from another deal. But having made those moves already and with precious little salary cap space to work with, the Bruins don’t expect to be major players in the free-agent frenzy that will begin tomorrow.

Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli has made that clear throughout the offseason, stating early and often than the Bruins are “probably not going to be too heavy on entering the unrestricted free agent market.” This is probably a good year to keep the checkbooks tucked away, as there are pretty slim pickings on the UFA front. That, in turn, has helped fuel a bevy of trades already and more deals are likely on the way.

“I think you’re going to see more deals than usual for the reason that the free-agent market is relatively thin,” said Chiarelli.

The Bruins struck quickly with the trade for Horton, filling a major need for a scoring winger, and also cleared up a bit of their logjam at center by sending Vladimir Sobotka to St. Louis for defense prospect David Warsofsky. Other teams have also gotten in on the act, including Toronto. The Leafs acquired former Bruin Kris Versteeg (along with the rights to Bill Sweatt) from Chicago for former Vermont star Viktor Stalberg, Chris DiDomenito and Philippe Paradis as the Blackhawks continue to shed salary to get under the cap.

That trade may take Toronto out of the mix for a potential deal for Marc Savard, though Leafs GM Brian Burke has already denied being involved in any discussions on that front.

With Philadelphia also re-signing goalie Michael Leighton today, the Flyers might also be out of the running as a possible destination for Tim Thomas. Still, Chiarelli told WEEI this morning that he was still exploring the trade market and more deals could come soon.

“What you might see from us though is another trade or two,” said Chiarelli. “These trades are around the free agency period, they happen because teams are deciding how to spend their money. I have had a couple of conversations with teams, you might see a couple trades on our part.”

While all the rumors have centered around Savard and Thomas, it’s possible the Bruins could deal other assets. Unsigned restricted free agents Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart could be used as chips, as could any number of prospects or future draft picks. The Bruins would also likely love to unload Michael Ryder’s $4-million cap hit.

The Bruins can also begin negotiating new deals with captain Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron beginning tomorrow, as they both enter the final years of their current contracts. Chara currently counts $7.5 million against the cap, while Bergeron is at $4.75 million. Chiarelli confirmed that the Bruins would like to keep both in Boston, and is optimistic he will be able to.

“We would like to extend them both,” Chiarelli told WEEI. “I’ve had informal discussions with both agents and players. We’re going to extend them both.”

Re-signing both would likely require them to work out deals with lower cap hits. Of course, if the Bruins trade Savard after he agreed to a cap-friendly deal this past season, then it might be a lot tougher to get Chara and Bergeron to go along with such deals to help the club. Loyalty is a two-way street after all.

As for any additions that could come through free agency, don’t expect the Bruins to make a big splash, but they could dip their toes in the water for some minor additions. Here’s a look at what Chiarelli could go after if he decides to do a little shopping after all.

Forwards

The big prize on the market is Ilya Kovalchuk, but he’s not in Boston’s budget. There might not be many teams – outside the KHL anyway – that can meet his demands as Patrick Marleau and Tomas Plekanec have already re-signed with San Jose and Montreal, respectively, leaving even slimmer pickings than expected. Maxim Afinogenov, Ray Whitney, Teemu Selanne, Raffi Torres, Alexei Ponikarovsky, Lee Stempniak and Matt Cullen about the best options for teams searching for scorers. Chiarelli passed on acquiring any of those names at the trade deadline when most of them were available, and it’s doubtful he’d try to ditch enough salary to make a play for any of them now.

More realistic would be adding a bottom-six forward to provide a little extra grit and some help on the PK. Former Bruins Glen Metropolit, Stephane Yelle and Steve Begin are available, as are Jon Sim, Jed Ortmeyer, Manny Malhotra, Chris Higgins and John Madden. Higher on the toughness scale but still with some valuable skill would be the likes of Arron Asham, Adam Mair, Jamal Mayers and Zenon Konopka, who might be the most intriguing option after leading the NHL in fighting majors (33) and penalty minutes (265) last year, but was also among the best face-off men in the league with a 62.3 winning percentage. Even though they chose not to qualify him as a restricted free agent, the Bruins are still interested in bringing Daniel Paille back if he would accept a lower cap hit.

The Bruins re-signed Shawn Thornton to take care of most of the pugilistic duties, but if they decide a pure heavyweight could be useful for short money as a 13^th forward, there are plenty available. The best bruisers on the market include Derek Boogaard, Jody Shelley, Brian McGrattan, Raitis Ivanans, John Scott and Steve MacInytre.

Defense

After trading Dennis Wideman in the Horton deal, Chiarelli said he “may not be done fixing the defense.” Still, with big money committed to Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference, Johnny Boychuk and Matt Hunwick and Stuart and Adam McQuaid still unsigned, it’s unlikely the Bruins could afford anything more than a veteran depth defenseman.

That leaves them out of the running for marquee names like Dan Hamhuis, Paul Martin, Sergei Gonchar, Zbynck Michalek, Anton Volchenkov and Andy Sutton. There’s not much in the bargain bin, which features veterans like Jay McKee, Mike Mottau and a whole lot of ex-Bruins. No fewer than 10 former B’s are available with Gonchar, Aaron Ward, Nick Boynton, Sean O’Donnell, Shane Hnidy, Paul Mara, Derek Morris, Jay Leach, Shaone Morrisonn and Milan Jurcina on the market, but it’s hard to imagine Boston being interested in bringing most of those guys back for another tour.

Goalies

If the Bruins do trade Thomas, they’ll need to find a veteran backup for Tuukka Rask. Evgeni Nabokov is the top name available. He’s not in Boston’s price range, but the Bruins will watch closely where he lands, as the teams that lose out could become a lot more interested in acquiring Thomas.

As for potential Bruins targets, old friend Alex Auld, Martin Biron, Antero Niittymaki, Chris Mason, Yann Danis, Patrick Lalime, Manny Legace, Vesa Toskala, Marty Turco, Jose Theodore, Andrew Raycroft and Ray Emery are the top names available. While a few of them could be acceptable, looking at most of the names on that list really reinforces why the Bruins might want to explore other options to trim their cap than trading Thomas and enjoy having one of the best tandems in the league at a reasonable combined hit of $6.25 million.

The Bruins made their first major move of the offseason yesterday, acquiring forwards Nathan Horton and Gregory Campbell from Florida in exchange for defenseman Dennis Wideman, a first-round pick (15^th overall) this year and a third-round pick next year.

This afternoon, Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli weighed in on the deal in a conference call with reporters from Los Angeles, where Chiarelli and the Bruins scouting staff have already arrived in preparation of Friday’s start of the NHL Entry Draft.

Chiarelli insisted the Horton trade was strictly a hockey move. The Bruins acquired him for his size and scoring touch, not in an effort to shake up the team’s chemistry after an inconsistent regular season and historic playoff collapse.

“It wasn’t changing the culture, it was changing the makeup of the team,” said Chiarelli. “I’m relatively happy with the room.”

With that in mind, Chiarelli is acutely aware of the importance of team chemistry, and shot down reports of any character issues with Horton.

“What I know, what our research shows, what our due diligence shows,” said Chiarelli. “He’s a good person. He competes. He’s a big body kid. He can skate. He can shoot. … He’s what we’re looking for.”

The Bruins are looking for more help, and this trade is likely just the start of the moves Chiarelli has planned for this offseason. His next area to address could be the blue line. Despite Wideman’s struggles through much of this past season, Chiarelli noted “that was a key component of the defense that we had to give up.”

Wideman’s departure likely makes re-signing impending unrestricted free agent Johnny Boychuk and restricted free agent Mark Stuart a higher priority, but Chiarelli could also look outside the organization for help.

“I may not be done in fixing the defense,” said Chiarelli. The Bruins GM did caution that he might not set his sights on an offensive minded, puck-moving defensemen to fill Wideman’s skates, relying instead on solid defensive play and positioning from the defense under the guidance of Claude Julien.

“I think we have a real good system installed,” said Chiarelli. “This search for a puckmover, sometimes there’s not one out there.”

Chiarelli did once again state that he expects plenty of trades to be consummated in the coming weeks around the league, as a weak free-market crop and the number of teams which are close to competing could fuel a robust trade market.

“With the parity you have now, sometimes a tweak here or there can make the difference,” said Chiarelli.

Chiarelli wouldn’t, however, discuss any of his own potential trade chips. When asked point blank if he would like to shot down the continued rumors of a potential Marc Savard trade, Chiarelli replied only, “I don’t comment on trade speculation.”

Chiarelli did note that the depth of this year’s draft made it easier to part with the 15^th pick in the Horton deal, as he believes the Bruins will still have a shot at some of the same players with the 32^nd pick. Chiarelli also confirmed that the club will give a qualifying offer Campbell, who will become a restricted free agent on July 1. Chiarelli sees him competing for a spot at center, though he noted Campbell can also play wing.

Campbell’s addition might be the final nail in the coffin for Steve Begin’s hopes to remain in Boston. The fourth-line center will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and the Bruins have no plans to prevent him from hitting the open market.

“I have told Steve Begin that we can’t make a decision before July 1,” said Chiarelli. “I haven’t told Miro (Satan) anything. I have spoken to the agents for Rex (Mark Recchi) and Boychuk, but I have nothing to report there.”

As the Bruins enter the home stretch heading into Friday’s opening round of the draft, general manager Peter Chiarelli spoke with the media this morning to discuss what promises to be a huge night for the future of the franchise.

The Bruins own the No. 2 pick thanks to the Phil Kessel trade to Toronto, and are guaranteed to land either Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin, depending on which forward Edmonton takes at No. 1.

Chiarelli confirmed that he has been in discussions with Edmonton GM Steve Tambellini, but no specifics about a possible swap of top draft picks have been brought up.

“I spoke with Steve on the weekend,” said Chiarelli. “We didn’t really discuss that in any detail. After speaking with Steve, I think he has these two guys very close, as we do. Neither of us really committed to moving forward on that type of discussion. We spoke briefly on the weekend, and I imagine we’ll talk again at some point. But right now if the draft were tonight, I’d say there’d be no deal.”

At least not involving the top two picks. Moving up from their second selection at No. 15 is another matter, and that’s something that Chiarelli would possibly like to do.

“That would be of interest to us,” said Chiarelli. “It’s hard to move up right now. I’ve had a lot of concepts thrown at me as far as moving up and moving down. That’s the normal course. Nothing is really imminent now. There’s no pressure. There’s no reason to really talk in detail right now.”

Talks have been heating up around the league though, and Chiarelli expects plenty of deals to go down in the coming days and weeks.

“I think you’re going to see more deals than usual for the reason that the free-agent market is relatively thin,” said Chiarelli. “I’ve noticed that there’s been significantly more talk in the last week than I’m used to in my years in management. It may be that you don’t get these blockbuster draft-day deals, but I think you’ll see more deals this week.”

The Bruins have the assets to be a player in the trade market, while also being in good position to build for the future with four picks in the top 45 this year and four more picks in the first two rounds next year.

“It’s a deeper draft, so we’ll have a real solid foundation of players moving forward in our pipeline,” said Chiarelli. “It gives us options to look at trades. We want to improve our team now and we want to improve our team in the short term and the long term. It gives us a lot of flexibility.”

Some other quick hits from Chiarelli’s conference call:

- Chiarelli on the depth of this year’s draft class:

“There’s general depth,” said Chiarelli. “There’s a number of scoring wingers. There’s a number of different types of defensemen that are there. The depth is far-reaching. I’d say it’s 20-25 deep.”

- Comparing the character of the top two selections:

“I think they’re both terrific kids,” said Chiarelli. “They’re both very confident. Tyler seems to be a little more extroverted than Taylor. Both their families are tremendous families. … It’s been well documented, Taylor’s done all these things. He’s won and you can’t ignore that, but Tyler has had a terrific year. His level of improvement is significant from one year to the next.

“These two players are so close and they’re both good kids. It’s a unique situation,” added Chiarelli. “We’ve been going through this with a fine-toothed comb. There’s differences in their games. There’s subtle differences in their personalities, but it really is that close.”

- Discussing what makes Seguin so appealing:

“Specifically on Tyler – the speed, the innovation, the vision,” said Chiarelli. “He’s got a real sneaky wrist shot that I think is underutilized. He finds a way to go around people with his speed and his guile. … He’s a very smart player and is a responsible player.”

- On the nature of the talks with Edmonton to this point:

“We both don’t want to play any cards to each other right now,” said Chiarelli. “I genuinely believe that Steve (Tambellini) is of the same opinion on these players as me, that they’re very close. The discussion we’ve had aren’t really in detail yet and I don’t know if they will ever get truly in detail. It is unique. I think we’re both very non-committal when we talk.”

- Chiarelli also mentioned that he’s continuing to work on deals for several of the club’s veteran free agents.

“I’m making some progress with some of them. You may see a deal this week, you may not,” said Chiarelli. “I can’t say they’re imminent, but we’ve made progress.”

BOSTON — For a press conference designed to accentuate the positives of elevating Cam Neely to the role of team president, Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli sure found himself answering a lot of questions in the negative.

Of course, not all those negatives are necessarily, well, negative.

Chiarelli confirmed that there would be no buyouts of any contracts this year. There will also be no trading of the No. 2 overall pick at next week’s entry draft despite the best efforts of his fellow GMs to pry that pick away from him. And much like the sun sets every evening, it should come as no surprise that there will once again by no sighting of Carl Soderberg at next month’s prospect camp.

The buyout period began yesterday, but in a rarity for the club, the Bruins won’t be adding any extra dead money to their cap this summer. Even Michael Ryder, entering the final year of a three-year, $12-million deal, is safe despite his goal total dropping from 27 to 18 this past season.

“I know everyone is talking about buying out Ryder,” said Chiarelli. “He had a frustrating year. The year before, what did he score the year before? So I’m not going to buy out him, and nobody else. … We need wingers and we need wingers that can score, and historically he has done that.”

Chiarelli said he’s had plenty of offers for the second overall pick, including one that was at least tempting, but he won’t be parting with the chance to select either Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin.

“I’m not moving that pick,” said Chiarelli. “We’re going to take one of those forwards. I’ve gotten quite a few (phone calls). There was actually one that I was impressed with. They came hard.”

It also doesn’t appear that Chiarelli is inclined to give up any assets to ensure that he gets the player he most covets out of that pair, which presumably would be Hall, a more natural sniper who just happens to have grown up a Bruins fan and is represented by Bruins great Bobby Orr.

“If I decide the gap between who we have at No. 1 and who we have at No. 2 is large enough, then potentially I would consider a move to bridge that gap,” said Chiarelli. “Right now that gap is very small, and I can’t see it changing.”

The gap between the Bruins and Soderberg, however, is as wide as ever. For at least one more year, the Atlantic Ocean will separate the club and the mercurial prospect, who will remain in his native Sweden for another year after initially indicating that he would come over for the prospect camp.

“Today I was told that he’s not now, so there’s some breaking news,” said Chiarelli. “I was told about an hour ago that he’s not (coming). … There’s a little bit (of frustration). At the end of the day if they want to play they have to come over. It would have been nice to see him come over. There’s still a chance, but it’s not going to be this year.”

Some other Bruins tidbits from Chiarelli:

- All of the offseason surgeries are complete. Chiarelli mentioned that both David Krejci (wrist) and Tim Thomas (hip) were recovering well and should be ready for camp, while captain Zdeno Chara did not require surgery on the hand injury that hampered him much of the year.

- Chiarelli noted that this year’s free agent crop was not particularly strong, so any veteran help the Bruins may add would like come via trade.

“It’s thin, that market is thin this year,” said Chiarelli. “I think there’s going to be more trades before July 1. I know there’s been a lot more talks amongst the managers than I’ve ever seen since I’ve been here or in Ottawa.”

- While the No. 2 pick is off limits, Chiarelli is open to possibly dealing some of his stockpile of other picks for more immediate help.

“We’re going to look to the trade market to make changes,” said Chiarelli. “In all likelihood that will involve some picks. It gives me that flexibility knowing that we’re going to get a top-end talent and still have picks.”

- On his own free agents, Chiarelli wouldn’t tip his hand on whether he’d bring any others back for another year after re-signing Shawn Thornton and Dennis Seidenberg earlier this month, but it sounds like at least a few probably won’t be back. “I haven’t cut ties with any of them officially,” said Chiarelli.

BOSTON — It was only fitting in this graduation season that Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs referred to Cam Neely’s promotion to club president as “Cam’s matriculation.”

Neely, flanked by Jacobs, club principal Charlie Jacobs, general manager Peter Chiarelli and senior adviser to the owner Harry Sinden, was formally introduced as the team’s new president at a press conference this afternoon at the Garden.

Neely assumes the post vacant since 2006 when Sinden stepped down and assumed his current advisory role. Neely, who returned to the club as a vice president in 2007, is the seventh president in team history.

“I am very proud to be the next president of the Boston Bruins,” said Neely. “As you all know I have a huge passion for this organization, being a player, being in this city for 24 years now. A lot of great things have happened to me in the month of June. One of them was getting traded here, and now being named president. I am excited about the direction this team is going, although I can tell you right now everybody up here is very disappointed with the way the season ended, but there were a lot of positives out of the season.”

Charlie Jacobs noted that in Neely’s new role, “both hockey operations and business (operations) will be operating and reporting to Cam,” but Chiarelli clarified after the press conference that he would still maintain autonomy in the hockey decisions, albeit with continued input from Neely.

“When we make decisions as a group, he’s part of that group,” said Chiarelli. “That’s not going to change. His voice is a voice that we all listen to, but at the end of the day I’ve got to make the hockey decisions.

“In any decision that you make as a manager, you’re not going to have agreement from everybody,” added Chiarelli. “It’s not my job to create consensus. It’s my job to make the right decision.”

Jeremy Jacobs is convinced he’s made the right decision in naming Neely to succeed Sinden in the president’s role.

“I’m certainly glad to have Harry with us today,” said Jeremy Jacobs. “In my opinion, he was definitely the greatest of all the presidents of this organization. I know how close Harry and Cam are and I’m sure it is a special day for you both to be here to gather. The role of the president is a special position. The president has the responsibility for carrying the torch of the team and I can’t think of anybody better to pass that torch to than Cam Neely.”