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Cam Neely On Felger & Mazz: Bruins Had Another Deal In Place, But It Fell Through

Cam Neely joined Felger and Mazz, a duo disappointed and upset with the Bruins' deadline dealings, on Thursday afternoon for his weekly chat.

The Bruins president said that the team did what it hoped to do prior to Wednesday's trade deadline, but there was another deal that nearly got done that didn't quite pan out.

"We accomplished what we wanted to do as far as adding depth to our blue line," Neely said regarding the trade for Andrej Meszaros and the signing of Corey Potter. "We were in on something else that we felt would have been good for us if it could've gotten accomplished, but it wasn't entirely in our control in that regard"

Neely couldn't expand much detail on the deal that wasn't, though he added "I think it may potentially have laid some groundwork for the future. But again, you have to have a dance partner."

"We had a deal in principle that was predicated on another team getting something done," Neely said, adding that it was a "hockey deal" in the sense that a good player with multiple years remaining on his contract would have been traded to Boston.

The unnamed player was not traded to any team on Wednesday, according to Neely.

General manager Peter Chiarelli referenced the deals as well in his post-deadline press conference.

"There were a few good deals that we were in, and yeah, a little disappointed those deals [weren't completed]," Chiarelli said. "Sometimes those deals come around in the summer and in the fall, so you lay some groundwork. That's what happens at the trade deadline, is that you lay some groundwork for some deals later on, too. And we felt we did that, too. But I thought we were in a couple deals where it would've been good for the acquisitions."

Regarding Meszaros, Neely said he expects the veteran D-man will get some conditioning work in before playing in games, and head coach Claude Julien will find a way to get all of their defensemen their proper playing time and rest in the busy final stretch of the season.

Cam Neely

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