Bruins ink Dennis Seidenberg to 4-year contract that benefits everyone

As a defenseman, Dennis Seidenberg understands the benefit of security. A 4-year, $16-million deal with the Boston Bruins with a no-trade clause, per Darren Dreger, provides that for the veteran in his last contract year.

He would have fetched more as a UFA next summer, no question. But he may not have gotten money, term and a no-trade clause on a contract that takes him to 36 years old. And he wouldn’t have had Zdeno Chara, Johnny Boychuk and Adam McQuaid in his top four for at least the next two seasons.

The Bruins win, too, because even if Seidenberg loses a step that $4 million cap hit is beyond manageable. They can sign Boychuck and MacQuaid – both UFAs in 2015 – and maintain what is the best top four in the Eastern Conference, and the lynchpin of Claude Julien’s system.

(Seidenberg had an abjectly terrible Stanley Cup Final, but that had more to do with a bum hammy than a deterioration of skills.)

Good contract bot both the player and the team. It’s like that Peter Chiarelli is a good general manager or something.