Boston draft strategy a mixed bag

BOSTON, Mass – Even though the Boston Bruins have a top ten pick in the draft, and the event is just a few short weeks away, you can forgive most observers if they are a little preoccupied by the Stanley Cup finals. However, you can rest assured despite the fact the club is involved in the finals the Bruins scouting department is checking their lists twice to see which top talent they will tab with the ninth overall pick. The Bruins have been active with their young talent and early draft choices. Due to the fact they acquired two first round picks and a second round pick from the Toronto Maple Leafs for Phil Kessel, the club has had a wealth of draft picks. The abundance allowed the Bruins to trade their 2010 first round pick as part of a package for Nathan Horton and they traded their 2011 first round pick to the Leafs in a package (along with their 2008 first rounder Joe Colborne) for Tomas Kaberle. Even though the team dealt some of its young talent at the trade deadline, the Bruins are in decent shape for the future. Tyler Seguin, who was the second overall pick in the 2010 draft, the Bruins have 2009 first rounder Jordan Caron and 2010 draft choices Jared Knight and Ryan Spooner in the system. The Bruins also have the 8^th overall pick in the 2007 draft in Zach Hamill in the organization, but the book is still out on the young center.

Defensively the Bruins have plugged holes with players acquired from other organizations such as Adam McQuaid (Columbus), Matt Bartkowski (Florida) and Steven Kampfer (Anaheim). The Bruins also hold out hope for Ryan Button who was selected with the 86^th overall pick in the 2009 draft and Tommy Cross who went 35^th overall in the 2007 draft. The Bruins believe they have their next number one goaltender in Tuukka Rask who has already had success at the NHL level on their current roster. The Bruins are usually all over the place in the draft. Their assessment of young players sometimes differs than the rankings from Central Scouting, so they will “go off the board” compared to conventional thinking. The tendency to do so makes the Bruins a tough club to handicap when it comes to the draft. One thing is certain. The Bruins salary cap will not be able to handle the weight of a top 10 draft pick therefore it is almost assured that the pick will spend another year in junior hockey. Another variable to factor in is the fact the ninth slot sometimes sees a top ranked player that has slipped on draft day. High rated defenders Cam Fowler and Brandon Gormley slid past the ninth spot in last year’s draft, Jared Cowen was selected ninth in the 2009 draft and Tyler Myers went 12^th in the 2008 talent roundup. It’s possible a player ranked in the top five by the Central Scouting Bureau may be sitting there for the Bruins to snap up. Because the Bruins have their higher ranked prospects on the forward lines most people anticipate Boston tabbing a defenseman with their first pick. It says here that should a top-ranked forward slide down the Bruins will either deal the pick or go with that forward. They might select a forward anyway. A player such as Mika Zibanejad could play in the Swedish Elite League for another year or two until an NHL slot (and salary) opens up. It would not be a surprise if the Bruins tab a forward such as Sven Bartschi, Zack Phillips, Brandon Saad or Joel Armia. Defensively the Bruins could give a nod to Duncan Siemens, Jamie Oleksiak or Nathan Beaulieu. Of course if Adam Larsson somehow falls here the Bruins will grab him as quickly as they may with Dougie Hamilton should Hamilton fall. Unless something out of the ordinary happens (a top player sliding, a much higher than expected Bruins evaluation of a player) an educated guess says Beaulieu will be the pick. The Bruins paid a high price for Kaberle, a defenseman who can move the puck and help out on the power play. It is possible they could believe that Beaulieu could become that type of player in time—at far less the cost of Kaberle. At 6-2, 174 Beaulieu is a bit slight for an NHL defender and the Bruins would allow him the luxury to bulk up in junior hockey for at least another season.
“He’ll be an offensive-defenseman, said Central Scouting’s Chris Bordeleau. “He’s a good skater, good puck-mover. He has a good shot and is very poised with the puck. He’s a veteran who has a lot of responsibilities for Saint John.”
The Bruins like to “activate” their defenseman and ask them to pinch down low and rotate with the forwards to maintain puck pressure and possession. A starting defender on the Bruins needs to know when to join into the offensive attack and when to back off and control their gaps defensively. In 2010-11, Beaulieu led Saint John defensemen in scoring with 45 points on the strength of 12 goals and finished the season with a plus-44 rating which bettered his plus-43 mark from the season before. “He’s gotten better, bigger and stronger, he’s playing a lot better defensively,” said Saint John coach Gerard Gallant. “He’s a guy who gets a lot of opportunities because he jumps into the rush very well.” Also on the plus side for Beaulieu is his tremendous run through the Memorial Cup playoffs as the Sea Dogs took the championship. In addition Beaulieu was named an all-star during the tournament. If the Bruins think the way we do, then you can expect Boston to make the following announcement come draft day. “With the ninth overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, the Boston Bruins select, from the Memorial Cup champion Saint John Sea Dogs, defenseman Nathan Beaulieu.” To learn more about Nathan Beaulieu click here. Contact the author at Tom.Schettino@prohockeynews.com
Contact the photographer at Lewis.Bleiman@prohockeynews.com