The Bruins have continued a busy offseason by signing iron man D Mark Stuart to a multi-year deal. The deal is reportedly worth $2.6 million over two years. The gritty defenseman tallied a whopping 8 points (4 G, 4 A) last year, which doesn't seem to warrant a $2.6 million contract until you see that Stuart played every single game last year including the playoffs. Although I think this is a little too much money for a fifth defenseman, the contract seems merited due to the fact that Mark Stuart is the very definition of a Bruin. He fears no one, plays hurt, goes hard every play, and most importantly, he is an all-out grinder. If this were baseball, we'd refer to him as a "dirt dog." Overall, a good signing for the B's, who also still have a decent amount of cap space to work with.

I really like this signing for the Bruins. Stuart is a gritty, shutdown, stay-at-home defenseman who can contribute 5-on-5 or on the penalty kill. He may never be a point scorer, but he has his place in the league. He may have been a 5th defenseman at the start of his rookie season, but by the end of the year I thought that he was probably the third best defenseman on the team behind Chara and Ward. Plus, with this signing the Bruins add a tough defenseman who is not worried about point totals and is under 30. I know the current rage is puck-moving defenseman, but those puck-moving defenseman couldn't take the risks they take without stay-at-home guys like Stuart to back them up, so in that regard, protection for the mistakes Dennis Wideman could make this season is a big part of this signing, as well. - You A Bad Mang