NHL Trade Rumors: Boston Bruins Should Not Be Quiet at the Deadline

The Boston Bruins are good enough to win the Stanley Cup for the second consecutive season, but they still need to look hard at adding some depth to their team as the NHL trading deadline approaches.

Before last season's deadline the Bruins added a few underrated players that made a tremendous impact in the team's run to a championship.

Forwards Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley were a big part of the Bruins' success last season, and both were acquired around the deadline to add speed, defense and depth to the roster.

This season Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli is looking to add more depth to the team, but he doesn't want to interfere with his club's strong team chemistry.

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"The difference between last year and this year is that I’m a little more certain about the chemistry at this point," said the Bruins GM. "So I have to be a little more careful about adding. I don’t want to subtract in order to add. If I can add, I want to be careful about chemistry."

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The Bruins' current salary cap situation allows them the freedom to make a move if Chiarelli finds a player he thinks can help the team.

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"Obviously we have a lot of cap room, so there’s a lot of flexibility," Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli told ESPN.com Thursday. "I would like to add depth-wise on the forward front and depth-wise on the defenseman front. But I don’t want to subtract anything."

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Don't expect the Bruins to bring in a young star defenseman, because youngsters Steven Kampfer and Dougie Hamilton have a bright NHL future.

A veteran (or veterans) with an expiring contract is a smart move for Chiarelli to make, and Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Tim Gleason and Washington Capitals winger Alexander Semin are two veterans who could help the Bruins.

Gleason is a good defenseman who plays well in his own zone and can also kill penalties as well. Semin is a proven goal scorer who would be spectacular alongside Bruins playmakers such as David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron and Tyler Seguin.

Both Semin and Gleason have expiring contracts, so Boston would not have to make a future commitment to either player.

Boston has a strong chance to become the first repeat Stanley Cup champion since the Detroit Red Wings in 1998, but they must not be quiet at the deadline if there's an opportunity to improve the roster.

Follow Nicholas Goss on Twitter for constant NHL news and analysis. Follow @NicholasGoss35.

Nicholas Goss is a Boston Bruins Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston.