BOSTON, Mass – Barring a late trade for a top defenseman the Boston Bruins have set their roster for the upcoming season which is scheduled to begin on October 9 in Colorado against the Avalanche.
Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli placed forwards Peter Schaefer, Nate Thompson and Jeremy Reich on waivers and assigned Matt Hunwick to Providence in order to bring the club to the limit of 23 players. Chiarelli attempted to deal Schaefer before waiving him due to the fact the 31-year old forward flashes scoring ability and skill along the wall. However, those flashes were not enough to keep him on the club and his chances were hurt by a flat exhibition game on Sunday afternoon against the Capitals. Should the three forwards clear waivers they will be assigned to Providence (AHL) to start the season.
Boston reached the playoffs last season and forced the conference champion Montreal Canadiens to a seventh game before bowing out in the first round. The general belief was the Bruins were inexperienced and struggled to score at times during the series which cost them in the end. This year the club has attempted to address their offensive problems by signing Michael Ryder and will get a boost from the return of Patrice Bergeron from a career-threatening concussion. The Bruins are hopeful of a net gain of at least 30-35 goals based on the pair ʼs previous contributions.
Ryder ʼs large free agency contract has been a topic of discussion around the league. The 28-year old from Newfoundland banged home 30 goals in consecutive seasons before slumping to 14 last year. By the end of the season Ryder was a healthy scratch for the Montreal Canadiens during the playoffs and the club chose not to retain him. Meanwhile the 23-year old Bergeron was limited to just 10 games after back-to-back 70 point seasons when he was checking into the boards from behind by Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Randy Jones.
Offense will be at a premium based on the remaining players on the roster. Marc Savard dipped to 78 points last season and no other player on the team was able to register more than Marco Sturm ʼs 56 points. Those two players will be counted on for more as will third-year player Philip Kessel, Chuck Kobasew and David Krejci. The club hopes Krejci can center a productiv e second line which will give the club two scoring lines. Big wingers Blake Wheeler and Milan Lucic provide the club with players who will work hard, hit hard and chip in some goals. Defensive specialists PJ Axelsson and Stephane Yelle lead a role-playing corps of forwards who include Petteri Nokelainen, Vladimir Sobotka and Shawn Thornton.
Although Head Coach Claude Julien has talked about an upscale attack this year, you can be sure a cornerstone of this club will be their defensive play. Julien has tossed open the job between 34-year old veterans Manny Fernandez and Tim Thomas and despite Fernandez ʼs large contract there will be no bias in deciding the starter. Young netminder Tuukko Rask played well in training camp and allayed any fears the organizatio n may have had if they need him in an emergency this season.
Team captain Zdeno Chara is the club ʼs workhorse on defense. Chara will play tons of minutes and will try to mask a unit that does not have many top-end performers. 25-year old Dennis Wideman rec eived a large pay boost over the summer and now needs to reward the club for their investment. Mark Stuart appears to have moved his game up a notch and will be counted on heavily. Aaron Ward is a safe type of defender, the kind who is always filling a role on a top team while Andrew Alberts, Shane Hnidy and Andrew Ference will fight for the remaining time.
The keys to this season will be Ryder ʼs contributions and the health of Chara. In addition the forwards need to stay committed to strong play in their own zone while chipping in a few more goals and one of the goaltenders has to become the clear, warranted number one.
While the Bruins did finish eighth last season it is important to note the club was only ten points away from the conference championship. That championship is not out of reach this year, but the club needs to be steadier than it was last season when they simply weren ʼt competitive in some outings. If the intensity stays up over 80 games and the keys mentioned above are solid there is no re ason the club won ʼt be in the hunt for home ice advantage in the playoffs.
Contact the author at tom.schettino@prohockeynews.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment.