MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
G Tim Thomas came into the season fighting for playing time. Manny Fernandez was brought in to be the likely No. 1 and Tuukka Rask was the goalie of the future. So, all Thomas did was go out and become an All-Star, often acting as a one-man gang in keeping his offensively challenged team in hockey games.

MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER
LW Peter Schaefer was brought in to add grit and offense to the front line and really added neither until the final games of the playoffs. What he showed in the last few games is what the Bruins need him to show next season.

FREE AGENT FOCUS
The Bruins need a forward who can score, at least one, and Marian Hossa's name keeps popping up.

RW Chuck Kobasew, who had a strong year before suffering a broken leg, could be out of the picture as a restricted free agent as the Bruins have to decide whether to match a money figure from outside.

D Dennis Wideman is another RFA who could command some money from outside.

The Bruins quickly extended offers to potential UFA's Aaron Ward and Glen Metropolit. "We figured Glen would be a depth guy for us but he turned out to be more than that," said Chiarelli, talking to the Boston Globe, of C Metropolit, a $500,000 walk-on last year. "Going forward, we'd see him more in third- and fourth-line roles, help with the (penalty killing)." On Ward, the veteran defenseman, the GM said, "The latter part of the year, he did a lot of good things for us. Philosophically, he's a really good fit for us. And monetarily... decent." The Globe said Carolina, one of Ward's old teams (he won the Cup there), wants him back.

PLAYER NOTES

--G Tim Thomas was sent home by Team USA from the World Championships after suffering what appeared to be a minor knee injury.

--D Dennis Wideman was to have hernia surgery in the off-season.

--LW Milan Lucic will be working on his speed over the summer. "I definitely want to get faster," he said. "And I don't think I need to get any heavier." Lucic on the end of the season: "Hey, a couple of bounces and we could be in Pittsburgh right now. When it came to an end, it was a bitter pill to swallow, shaking all (the Canadiens') hands."

--Lucic was second among NHL rookies in hits, with 181. He and C David Krejci tied for 13th among rookies in points, with 27.

--Krejci was proudly skating for the Czech Republic at the World Championships. "It's a huge honor. This is something special," he said. "When I was young, I would dream about this, about playing for the National team in the World Championships, and I got the opportunity to do that this year." He says the Worlds are bigger than the Stanley Cup back home. "In (my country), this means much more to the Czech people -- more than anything else," he said.

--RW Phil Kessel continued his playoff surge with a hat trick for Team USA May 4.

--Forwards Petteri Nokalainen and Vladimir Sobotka were contributing for the Providence Bruins in the AHL playoffs.

--F Jeff Hoggan was out after wrist surgery.

--C Marc Savard on his first playoff appearance: "There is another level there and it's amazing to see that. That was especially so after missing (the last) seven games (with a back injury) and then coming back for Game 1. Stepping in, after not being able to practice... it was the quickest hockey I have ever seen."

--C Carl Soderberg, acquired from St. Louis in the trade for Hannu Toivonen, is still playing in Sweden and the Bruins hope to have him in North America next season.

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