The Boston Bruins have done an amazing job overcoming injuries – specifically to their blue line. Thanks to their depth and ability to have both their NHL and AHL teams on the same page when it comes to executing organizational philosophies on the ice, they somehow stood second in the Eastern Conference standings prior to NHL action Sunday.
On Saturday afternoon though, they were presented with probably their greatest challenge yet as they received news that minutes-eating and rugged defenseman Dennis Seidenberg would miss the remainder of the 2013-14 season with a torn ACL and MCL. Some salt was temporarily rubbed in the wound just prior to their game at Ottawa Saturday night when it was announced that captain Zdeno Chara would miss the contest – which the Bruins fell valiantly in, 4-3 — with an undisclosed injury but as Chara’s injury isn’t serious, that sting won’t hurt for too long. Seidenberg’s absence will be a nagging pain though and the question now is whether Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli believes his team –and what’s left of a depleted blue line that has also been without Adam McQuaid, Dougie Hamilton and Johnny Boychuk for extended periods of time – can continue to use band aids such as their bottom six depth and call ups like David Warsofsky and Zach Trotman?
The bet here is that Chiarelli applies patience to the situation but as Hockey Night In Canada analyst Glenn Healey stated on the latest ‘Hot Stove’, that won’t stop him from at least inquiring about defensemen like impending unrestricted free agent Dan Girardi whose contract talks with the Rangers are at a standstill right now. There’s also plenty of other candidates that could help the Bruins’ attempts to fill the void left by Seidenberg’s injury and colleague and friend Mick Colageo did some great instant analysis of some of those players and how they may fit into the Bruins blue line and system on his “Rink Rap” Bruins blog Saturday night.
The key with trying to replace what Seidenberg brings as much as possible is the minutes he plays and the physical toll he puts on opposing star players, especially in the playoffs where he has become one of the best shutdown rear guards in the NHL. Finding that valuable and unique combo will be tough, as Colageo shows there. That’s why it will be interesting to see if and when Chiarelli decides to wheel and deal and also does he do it more than once? If the organizational band aids he has can’t continue to get the job done, does he maybe dip into a lesser tier of available blueliners like say Paul Ranger from the Maple Leafs or Tom Gilbert from the Panthers? Colageo’s list most definitely includes players better suited for the role but they will cost more. If this scribe had a vote, Girardi or Hurricanes defenseman Tim Gleason would be the best fits but again they come with a heftier price tag.
One thing is certain though, as he has proven in the past, Chiarelli won’t rush a trade or trade out of panic. If he was to acquire a defenseman in say the next week or two, chances are, it would be a result of a deal he was already kicking the tires on to add depth because he is many times ahead of the curve.
–One defenseman that has been openly shopped lately, but likely won’t end up a Bruin, is Rangers blueliner Michael Del Zotto. Two seasons ago, Del Zotto appeared to be a promising young puck-moving defenseman and, had the Rangers looked to deal him then, they would’ve had a line of suitors down 34th street. But the impending restricted free agent has fallen out of favor with two different coaches over the last two seasons, becoming a mainstay in former Rangers and current Canucks bench boss John Tortorella’s dog house and now in Alain Vigneault’s. The Senators and Maple Leafs reportedly are the most interested, with the Avalanche also apparently making inquiries on the disgruntled defenseman. All three teams would need the Rangers – who are already tight against the cap – to take salary back. But if they were to send him to the Leafs, would they be able to get Nazem Kadri who, according to Larry Brooks, the Leafs are listening to offers for. That is highly unlikely but interesting to say the least.
–Reading that got this scribe wondering. With the current 24/7 series featuring the 2014 Winter Classic teams Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs lacking the entertainment that previous installments did, and both teams struggling, what better way to spice things up than to make a trade? Both squads could use a change right about now and the energy or wake up call a trade could bring and it would make the show much more intriguing.
