PHN Mock NHL Entry Draft: Boston Bruins

BOSTON, Ma – Due to injuries the Boston Bruins were obliged to force feed some of their young players during the 2007-08 season with excellent results. Milan Lucic literally burst onto the scene in training camp, Phil Kessel has been with the team for two years and David Krejci showed dramatic improvement down the stretch.
The problem in Boston is high-end talent. Even though they took the Montreal Canadiens to seven games in the first round matchup between the two clubs only a biased observer would rank the Bruins talent level on par with the Habs.
The club even has three more players scheduled to start at the pro level, at least in North America, this season when Zach Hamill, Brad Marchand and Carl Soderberg are slated to begin in Providence. Marc Savard, Marco Sturm, Patrice Bergeron—providing he can recover from a severe

concussion which ended his season in October—Chuck Kobasew, the three aforementioned players and some solid role players fill out the current Bruins roster quite nicely. However, those who watched the Canadiens when they were at their best against the Bruins wonder where the prime talent is for Boston when compared to the other teams in the league. The club’s defensive scheme installed by Claude Julian helps to dumb down the opposition, but even the infamous trapping New Jersey Devils clubs had a game-breaking player or two who could score 35, 40 or more goals—and I don’t see that type of player on this team.
Boston’s defense is fairly strong, but ever dependent on Zdeno Chara. Too often the defense went as Chara does and that is a reason for concern as Chara’s style of play often leads to nagging injury. While no one came right out and said it during the playoffs Chara appeared to be banged up and he was not on the top of his game.
Dennis Wideman needs to be re-signed, both politically (he was acquired for Brad Boyes who scored 43 times for St. Louis last year) and due to the fact he is perhaps the Bruins best puck-carrying defender. Veteran Aaron Ward has already re-signed and the team still holds high hopes for Mark Stuart and Andrew Alberts at the NHL level. There is more than an excellent chance the club will invest in another defender in free agency this season.
At the minor pro and junior level the club has Matt Lashoff and Matt Hunwick along with soon-to-be Boston College defenseman Tommy Cross in the system.
Goal is a bit of a toss-up as no one knows what to expect from Manny Fernandez (his was the case of Manny not being Manny due to injury this year) and Tim Thomas is advancing in age. If you had asked someone about prospect Tuukka Rask after Game 2 of the Providence Bruins versus the Portland Pirates series they would have said the Bruins had a future star. However, he imploded during the rest of the series and it may not be a stretch to say Rask cost them the series nearly single-handedly. Rask will likely be a fine NHL goaltender someday, but the bloom is off the rose a bit.
So by need the Bruins need to draft another goaltender to push Rask, or a defender to flesh out the defensive corps. At this point in PHN’s draft the club would have the pick of the goaltending litter or defensemen such as Colten Teubert, Luca Sbisa, Colby Robak and John Carlson. Truth be told the Bruins need help everywhere, so if they were to pick anyone of those players a strong argument in that player’s favor would be valid.
However, I think after watching the Kotstitsyn’s, Alex Kovalev, Saku Koivu, et all turn the Bruins in circles during the playoffs General Manager Peter Chiarelli should have an interest in a player similar to those types.
But all accounts there is such a player available in this draft and his name is Mattias Tedenby. Toss in the fine performances from the Detroit Red Wings Swedish contingent this season and it might very well be easy for the Bruins to call out Tedenby’s name when they pick in the first round.
If they were to grab Tedenby he would more than likely be a future pick who would spend a year or two in Sweden before heading to the United States. He is a smallish player, but scouts tout his ability to play at full speed and with success. Tedenby would not be the safest pick for the Bruins, but he might turn out to have the highest upside of all the players remaining in the draft.
The word on Tedenby from Goran Stubb, the Central Scouting Bureau’s Director of European Scouting should be music to the Bruins’ ears. The assesment could sway the club to the young player who has already appeared in the Swedish Elite League despite his age.
“Mattias is excellent on every shift,” said Stubb. “He has outstanding speed, stick work and work ethic. He is small but fearless – he takes hits and always comes back. He looks like a young Saku Koivu, he creates scoring chances with his outstanding skating and is very difficult to stop when he is at full speed. He has excellent balance and quick, smooth hands, but needs to improve on his defensive awareness.”
The good news is, everyone in the Bruins organization is well-taught when it comes to defensive responsibilities. What isn’t as evident on the Bruins at times is effort and talent, which is exactly what Tedenby would bring to the table.