Glimpse of the Future? B's Without Savard For 4-6 Weeks

When it rains, it pours.

Earlier this morning, the Boston Bruins announced that they’ve placed center Marc Savard on the long-term injured reserve with a broken left foot, joining fellow linemate on the B’s top line, Milan Lucic.

It’s unclear as to when Savard aggrivated the foot he injured during the preseason, but Savard noted that it was undoubtedly in the best interest if he took some time off. “The best thing now is to shut it down for a couple of weeks and let it heal.” a disappointed Savard said today when talking to the media.

Although the struggling Bruins certainly need the presence of their number one powerplay-producer, could B’s fans be getting a glimpse of the future as Savard could be without the club for nearly two months?

Savard enters 2009-10 in the final year of a four year contract he signed with the Boston Bruins back in July 2006 that pays him five-million a year, a bargain when looking at the numbers put up by the 5′10″ center from Ottawa. In all three seasons in the Hub so far, Savard has put up at least 60 assists or more, something only duplicated in the entire National Hockey League by Joe Thornton of the San Jose Sharks.

However, given the expected decrease in the salary cap along with the continuing development of players such as David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron, and Milan Lucic, all younger players with contracts of 3.75 million or higher, just where does Marc Savard fit into the plan of the Boston Bruins’ future?

When examining the players who finished with the same amount of points and/or more than Marc Savard last season, their average salary totals out at an average of 6.4 million dollars a season. While there’s been plenty of internet chatter about the Bruins interest in signing Savard to a three-year extension worth 6.5 million a season, there’s been no substantial quotes, figures or talks been expressed by both sides to date.

Regardless of the numbers put up by number 91, the Bruins numbers when it comes to the salary cap sets off quite the alarm, creating a large doubt about Savard’s potential return to the club past 2009-10.

Currently, the Bruins have 39.4 million dollars of the 2010-11 cap tied up between 11 positional players and Tim Thomas. However, besides Savard, included in the Bruins pool of pending free agents are promising players Blake Wheeler, Mark Stuart, Tuukka Rask and Vladimir Sobotka along with roleplayers such as Andrew Ference, Shawn Thornton and Derek Morris.

Without including Savard, the Bruins would have approximately 15.9 million dollars to spend on 10 players to fill out a roster. While it’s expected that players such as Mikko Lehtonen, Zach Hamill, Jeff Penner and Andrew Bodnarchuk will be challenging for spots on the big league roster next September, the likelihood of Savard remaining a Bruin without Peter Chiarelli having to continue to move pieces around is near impossible.

Posing the question, could what we’re about to witness be the future of the Boston Bruins?

Called up from Providence over the weekend, fiesty smaller forwards Brad Marchand and Vladimir Sobotka are expected to make their cases for a role on the NHL roster with Kobasew out of the equation and will certainly get their chances with the injuries to Lucic and Savard. They will be helped by the addition of Daniel Paille and call-up of journeyman minor leaguer Trent Whitfield.

Also expected to take the load off Savard’s back on the powerplay will be promising and proven NHL capable centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. While David Krejci totaled 73 points in 2008-09, the 23 year old Czech forward has shown some signs of still being in the midst of recovering from off-season hip surgery. On the other hand, center and 2003 2nd round pick Bergeron has been on an absolute tear, scoring five points in seven games this season and playing much like he did back in 2006-07 before concussions took their toll on the B’s alternate captain.

While tonight’s match-up against the 2-4-1 Nashville Predators may be a good way for the young guns to get into the action, the real tests will come as the B’s schedule gets tougher with opponents such as the Philadelphia Flyers, New Jersey Devils and Edmonton Oilers facing off against Boston in the next nine days.

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Ty

Desert Bound B's: Bruins vs. Coyotes Preview

Last night in the Hub of Hockey, the riot squads were called off and the Bruins were able to shut down the Dallas Stars en route to a 3-0 rout that’s settled down the masses of B’s fans, at least for now.

While the Bruins earned a “that’s how you do it” from most B’s fans for their efforts, Claude Julien’s squad was able to do all the things that made them such a successful team last season. For starters, they were able to kill of an early penalty to Patrice Bergeron 18 seconds into the game, avoiding the loss of any sort of momentum. The Bruins also capitalized on their up-ice rushes, putting three goals by Marty Turco on 29 shots.

In the eyes of Bruins Nation, three players stood out in particular. Michael Ryder, who moved up to the top line, playing with Marc Savard and Marco Sturm had arguably his best game of the season. Although he was held to just one point, Ryder had some great opportunities.

Tim Thomas, who stoned all 27 of Dallas’ shots showed some great poise when under fire and was bailed out numerous times by great defensive efforts from his blue-liners.

The Bruins first star of the game has to go to Marc Savard, who had a phenomenal night offensively as he was constantly creating offensive chances for his linemates and took advantage of his own chances as he banged home two goals by Marty Turco, the second being an absolute bullet that I’m convinced Turco simply didn’t see.

Charging into Arizona, the Bruins will look to continue to ride their momentum from last night as they’re hosted by Dave Tippett’s Phoenix Coyotes.

Coming into tonight’s game, the Boston Bruins will be without forward Milan Lucic, who injured himself during last night’s tilt in the Lone Star State and have called up bruising forward Guillaume Lefebvre from Providence to stand in for Lucic tonight. Lefebvre has one assist and 25 penalty minutes in four games with the Providence Bruins so far this season.

The game plan tonight for Boston will be much of the same, put the pressure on the young Coyotes early and often. Although Ilya Bryzgalov is in the midst of a spectacular start to the season, posting a 4-1-0 record with a 1.17 goals against average, including two shutouts, the Bruins will undoubtedly up the pressure on the 29-year-old Russian netminder as they did on Turco last night.

For the Coyotes, the focus will be on Shane Doan, who’s off to a seemingly typical slow start, scoring just three points in six games so far in 2009-10.

Players To Watch

For Boston, keep your eyes out for defensemen Johnny Boychuk, currently filling in for injured blue-liner Dennis Wideman. The AHL’s 2008-09 Eddie Shore Award winning defensemen, Boychuk is coming off two very strong games where he showed a strong awareness of his space and where the play was going while continuing to throw his body around very well. At this rate, Boychuk will make fans forget all about the loss of Shane Hnidy as the team’s seventh defensemen.

Two more players to take note of are Marc Savard and Mark Recchi. Savard is currently sitting at 199 career goals, one shy of 200 while Recchi is just an assist away from 900 in his career.

Currently, as it stands, the Phoenix Coyotes are the Pacific Division leaders (crazy season, huh). A player who’s seemingly thriving under the system put into place by Dave Tippett is forward Radim Vrbata. Three goals and an assist in six games is making a lot of us forget that Vrbata was the same player who jetted back home to Czechoslovakia after being upset with the Tampa Bay Lightning just 18 games into a lucrative three year contract last season.

Scottie Upshall is another player to keep tabs on tonight if you’re a Boston player. Upshall has absolutely killed Tim Thomas, well actually any Boston goaltender, throughout his career and has eight points in as many games against Boston throughout his NHL tenure. While Upshall’s currently sitting with just two goals so far this season, it’s very possible that he could be the one to make the difference between a Boston win and Boston loss.

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Ty

Oh Captain, Our Captain: Why Is There A Nude Zdeno Chara In My ESPN The Magazine?

No, that's not Bigfoot from the Patterson footage, that's just the captain of the Boston Bruins, Zdeno Chara.

It's guaranteed that most of the sports fans out there weren't too thrilled to open their ESPN: The Magazine this morning and see a nude 6'9" Big Z starting at them provocatively wearing nothing but his birthday suit.

Just why did ESPN pick Chara for their inaugural "Body Issue"? Or better yet, why did Chara accept the offer put forth by the television station that loves to act as if hockey is less important than NASCAR?

I'm no 6'9" Slovak, but here are just a few ideas as to why Zdeno Chara agreed to do this photoshoot.

• Chara saw last season's NHL "Is this the year?" poster that said the only thing more terrifying than Zdeno Chara was Zdeno Chara with a playoff beard and he disagreed vehemently. In fact, Chara believes that the image of his nude stare will in fact burn in the heads of NHL forwards as they make their way up the ice.
• He heard that there was a naked painting of Bobby Orr, he felt that he could one-up number four.
• Chara realizes that when you're captain of the Boston Bruins, nearly seven feet tall on skates and known for tossing players around like ragdolls you probably won't hear too much about it from the opposition.
• After registering the NHL record for hardest slapshot at 105.4 mph, a myth began to grow about how human Zdeno Chara actually was compared to how much of a machine he was. He felt he needed to do this to set the record straight.
• Chara felt extreme jealously towards the modeling shots of Andrew Ference and knew that someone had to show up that Earth-friendly blue-liner. After all, while Ference is preserving the mountains, Chara is conquering them.

Regardless that the magazine also contains players such as Sheldon Souray, Bill Guerin and Mike Komisarek, Chara was the only NHL player to pose nude for the magazine. In the process, Captain Zdeno became the first player to ever appear nude in a magazine, sorry Jiri Tlusty.

Powerplay Outage: Hiller, Ducks Beat Bruins 6-1

Is it too late to change the Boston Bruins motto from “Big and Bad are Back” to “Ten Minutes of Offensive Pressure, Fifty Minutes of Mistakes”?

While it’s still extremely early in the season, there’s no doubting that after a 6-1 demolition of the hometown boys thanks to the at-the-time winless Anaheim Ducks following the steam-rolling of Carolina last Saturday, the fans in the Hub are beginning to wonder what they’re in for this season.

My best advice? Don’t jump off the bridge when there’s still 79 games of hockey left.

Heading into tonight’s showdown at the TD Garden, the Bruins were seemingly back to their offensive-juggernaut ways after lighting up the ‘Canes for 7 goals during a Saturday night physical affair in Boston. Tonight however, Jonas Hiller and the rest of the Anaheim (no longer mighty) Ducks were more than ready. After getting peppered by 19 shots by Boston in the first period of play and only letting one Marco Sturm slapshot get by him, the feeling that this was going to be a difficult night for the Boston offense was beginning to reverberate throughout the minds of the Garden Faithful.

From there on out, it was all Anaheim.

Following an interference call on Matt Hunwick for his rather bizarre knock-down to 6′4″ Evgeny Artyukhin and questionable hooking call against Marco Sturm, the Ducks, who boasted the fourth best powerplay in 2008-09, were set up with one minute and 53 seconds of a five-on-three advantage. Turns out they’d only need a minute and thirty seconds of it to jump ahead.

It was a Teemu Selanne bullet that went by Tim Thomas, who was being screened by Corey Perry uncontested that tied that game and wouldn’t you know it, it was Teemu again who put the puck by a sprawled out Tim Thomas a minute later to give Anaheim a lead they would never relinquish.

After Corey Perry’s goal midway through the second period put the Ducks up 3-1, the Bruins seemed simply unmotivated to win, a sight similar to last week’s home opening against the Washington Capitals. Anaheim, who adopted the idealogy of quality over quantity finished the period with three goals on just six shots whereas the Bruins were held to just one goal on 30 shots through 40 minutes of play.

In similar fashion to the aforementioned game last week, Bruins netminder Tim Thomas gave up three more soft goals in the third period, including a very bizarre shorthanded goal by Corey Perry with under a minute to play and the Bruins were done.

When it comes to tonight’s loss, the Krejci line can simply not feel good about the way they played tonight. Frequently offsides and defensively irresponsible is no way to go through a game, boys. All three members of the Bruins’ second line, Blake Wheeler, Michael Ryder and David Krejci finished the night with an upsetting -3.

Kudos to Boston’s fourth line tonight, which was creating offensive chances and throwing the body around all at the same time. Shawn Thornton, who has a knack for scoring highlight-reel goals was kept off the scoresheet but had a very impressive night when it came to moving the puck around and skating.

All and all, the story of tonight’s loss rests on the unsuccessful powerplay put forth by Boston. The Bruins were 0-6 on the advantage, falling to 4-19 on the season.

Dumb Quote of the Night

“*Sarcastic cheers*” – As Thomas stopped the puck after giving up the sixth goal in the closing minute of tonight’s loss.

Yes, Thomas did get shelled tonight, yes he was looking foolish at times, but why are you booing the Vezina Trophy winner from last season after a rough game? For one, the Bruins defense was not giving Thomas any help whatsoever and secondly, wouldn’t you prefer Thomas to work out the kinks from the off-season in October as opposed to in April?

Jersey-Spotting of the Night

A man walking throughout the balcony tonight in Section 314 was sporting a lovely Boston Red Sox away jersey, bearing the last name “Yankees Suck”, featuring the number 24:7. Interesting to say the least as this last name was so long that it makes Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson look like a nameplate belonging to Steve Ott.

What’s Next?

The Bruins will take to the ice in Boston on Saturday night as John Tavares makes his TD Garden debut when the New York Islanders come to town. The Isles are 0-0-2 on the season following an overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators in Canada’s capital tonight. I’m about 95% sure that following tonight’s frustrating effort put forth by Tim Thomas, who stopped 24 of 30 shots, that the Bruins will give the nod to Finnish phenom Tuukka Rask.

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Three More Years Of Milan: The Lucic Craze In Boston Continues

At just 21 years old, Lucic has arguably become the face of the Bruins franchise to the casual fan in just his third season in the National Hockey League. Just what makes this hulking left winger so popular in the Hub of Hockey?

For one, he reminds Bruins fans of a certain number hanging in the rafters of the Garden, Cam Neely. While Lucic has yet to develop the offensive skills that Neely possessed, Lucic has the frame of a power forward with a dangerously high level of tenacity and aggression when on the ice.

While Neely still receives booming ovations when shown on the Garden jumbo-tron, be it in classic clips, opening videos or live shots from the ninth level of the TD Garden there’s no louder chants heard than when Lucic is on the ice. As the Boston faithful chant their overpoweringly loud chorus of “Loo”, you know the 6′4 forward is stalking an impending victim for a devastating body check and about to create some offensive chances for his linemates in the process.

To say Lucic is more than a just another fight wouldn’t be doing the Vancouver native any justice, as HockeyFights.com has Lucic boasting a 18-4-2 record in the regular season when it comes to dropping the mittens.

In just the past month alone, Milan Lucic has single-handedly bloodied two guys in fights. Lucic’s first victim was Senators enforcer and known tough-guy Chris Neil, who was essentially asking for it after leveling Boston star forward Marc Savard during a preseason tilt. However, the newest face to get pummeled by number 17 is that of Jay Harrison, a defensemen for the Carolina Hurricanes who was getting under the skin of every Boston player throughout the night until his exchange (or lack thereof on his part) of blows with Lucic.

Already achieving of cult status in the city of Boston, the popularity of Lucic is growing relentlessly. “Lucic Crew” shirts with the number 17 on the back along with the phrase “Ass-Kicker” on the nameplate have quickly become a staple in the balcony of every Bruins home game.

While Lucic may have golden-glove-like qualities, primarily from his days as a teenage boxer in British Columbia, it’s becoming more evident that he has more than mediocre skills on the offensive spectrum of things. Playing on Boston’s top line last season, Lucic put together a 42 point season, including 17 goals, including three game winners. Even more impressive for Lucic enthusiasts in 2008-09 was the fact that his penalty minutes actually increased by 47 minutes from the previous season

Outside of the hockey bubble in Boston, the bruising forward is primarily known for his hate-fueled rivalry with defensemen Mike Komisarek. The two, who have been going at it since Lucic’s rookie season, have not only exchanged words, shoves and checks; but fists, twice, with Lucic winning both decisions handily.

In Montreal, there’s no debating that Lucic has become enemy number one for his refusal to drop the gloves with Georges Laraque on numerous occasions as he prefers to instead beat the Canadiens on the scoreboard rather than toil in the penalty box for five with an old fashioned “goon” by NHL standards.

Without question Boston fans love the physical presence provided by their second round choice from the 2006 NHL Draft, as their near 20 foot tall banner featuring Zdeno Chara and Milan Lucic proclaiming that “Big & Bad Are Back” featured on the outside wall of the TD Garden tells us, it’s becoming clear that Lucic has matured immensely through the lessons and mentoring by both head coach Claude Julien and Bruins VP Cam Neely. In just two seasons with the Bruins, Lucic has driven home the point that he’s at his best when the team needs him most. For Lucic, his time to shine has been throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs where in just 17 career games he’s put up 11 points and a +11.

With the Boston Bruins quickly on the rise within their own city and the National Hockey League as a whole, the spotlight on the Bruins prized winger is certainly going to grow larger with the team’s rising success.

Looked upon as a game-changer for the B’s, at the age of 21 mind you, Lucic has shown a willingness to destroy anything and anyone in the Bruins way for a victory and after Saturday night’s display on the Garden ice, we shouldn’t expect him to stop anytime soon as Lucic became a very rich man when he agreed to a three year contract extension through the 2012-13 season worth 12.25 million dollars.

The Chronicles From The Garden's 2009-10 Eastern Conference Predictions

Can't you feel it? The NHL season is officially upon us. Here's my predictions for the regular season this year in the NHL.

Eastern Conference

1) Boston Bruins - Call me a homer, but what's not to like about this team? You have the Vezina in net with Tim Thomas, the Norris on your blue-line in 6'9 Zdeno Chara and Jack Adams winning coach in Claude Julien behind the bench. Although the leading goal scorer from last season is now a Maple Leaf, the return of Marco Sturm, a full season out of Mark Recchi and continued development from the youth should fill in the void. Expected to help on the powerplay is the addition of Derek Morris, a puck-moving defensemen who finished with a disappointing 20 points last season between New York and Phoenix. What's not to like? The lack of depth on the blue-line due to the departure of Shane Hnidy, Steve Montador (perhaps a blessing) and Aaron Ward.

2) Washington Capitals - Alexander Ovechkin is continuing to build on what's looking to be a career full of record breaking in the Nation's capital. Over the offseason, while Sergei Federov and Viktor Kozlov left for their homeland in Russia, the Capitals were able to add former Bruin and Flyer Mike Knuble to their club. Knuble will be a huge contribution to the Washington offense as he has the ability to bang home many of Ovechkin's rebounds. What's not to like? Given the rather unsettling play of Jose Theodore last season, the Caps may turn to Semyon Varlamov to lead the team. Varlamov, who was run out of Game 7 in the second period against Pittsburgh last season has under 25 games of total NHL experience to his name and could be unprepared to take the full load.

3) Philadelphia Flyers - Following two disappointing Stanley Cup Playoff exits in a row, Flyers GM Paul Holmgren was in the market for making a big move during the offseason. There was perhaps no bigger move made than the Flyers acquistion of 6'6 Chris Pronger from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a first round draft pick and expendable forward Joffrey Lupul. Pronger gives the Flyers another valuable weapon on the blue-line and in my opinion, is the one that puts them over the top in their division. What's not to like? The goaltending duo of Ray Emery and Brian Boucher is a stretch for a division winner, if both falter as starter's, then the Flyers may be in the market for a goaltender at the trade deadline.

4) Pittsburgh Penguins - The Pittsburgh Penguins did what many hockey fans, myself included, didn't think they could do, beat the Red Wings without Marian Hossa. Pivotal in the Pens road to the Stanley Cup were veteran Bill Guerin and agile winger Chris Kunitz. Good news for fans in the 'Burgh is that these players have returned to the club for another year. What's not to like? The departure of secondary scorers Miroslav Satan and Petr Sykora along with gritty defensemen Rob Scuderi could hurt the Penguins in the dog days of the NHL season.

5) Carolina Hurricanes - As Boston fans felt the sting of on May 14th, 2009, you should never doubt the 'Canes. In net for Carolina is clutch goaltender Cam Ward, who stymied the opposition until hitting the Eastern Conference Finals and became 36+ million dollars richer over the off-season with a six year extension. The Carolina Hurricanes added a bevy of grit this offseason with the additions of Tom Kostopoulos, Andrew Alberts and members of last season's Bruins in Aaron Ward and Stephane Yelle. What's not to like? In the event of an injury to either Eric Staal or Cam Ward, the Carolina Hurricanes could fall from division contenders to on the outside looking in. The fact that they also will feast off a poor division is a knock on them for many people.

6) New Jersey Devils - Given the absence of Martin Brodeur for 50 games last season, it's a marvel that the New Jersey Devils continued to go on and win the Atlantic Division. While the Devils have a familiar face back behind the bench with the return of Jacques Lemaire as bench-boss of New Jersey, the team is already battling injury woes with Patrik Elias' absence from the line-up while recovering from groin surgery. What's not to like? Over the offseason, the Devils lost their two back-up's, Scott Clemmensen and Kevin Weekes. While 'Clem' went to Florida to back-up Tomas Vokoun, Weekes took a job in the booth for the NHL Network and backing up Marty is now Yann Danis.

7) Montreal Canadiens - It's very safe to say that 2008-09 wasn't quite the centennial celebration that the Habs had hoped for. At the start of the season, the Canadiens seemed poised to win the Stanley Cup with the additions of Robert Lang, Alex Tanguay and tough-guy Georges Laraque. However, a severe rash of injuries and inconsistent play by their top six amidst drug-trafficking allegations against the Kostityn's by the Montreal media and the Habs finished with the 8th seed in the East. Over the off-season, the Canadiens went through a major overhaul, adding Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta, Michael Cammalleri, Hal Gill, Paul Mara, Jaroslav Spacek while parting ways with Saku Koivu, Alex Kovalev, Alex Tanguay, Mike Komisarek and Chris Higgins. What's not to like? The million-dollar question in Montreal remains "Will Carey Price return to his rookie season form?". If not, the Jacques Martin system could falter in it's first year in Montreal.

8) Buffalo Sabres - While it doesn't feel as if the the Buffalo Sabres were two points away from making the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, they were. While the Buffalo blueline lost veterans Jaroslav Spacek along with Teppo Numminen, they added what they hope will be a rebounding Steve Montador. The Sabres were also able to add gritty forward Mike Grier and once-seemingly-NHL-banished defensemen Joe DiPenta. What's not to like? The health of Ryan Miller and Tim Connolly (what else is new?) will be the Sabres biggest concerns in their attempt to return to the playoffs after a two year hiatus.

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9) Toronto Maple Leafs - The Maple Leafs are set to begin year one of the official Brian Burke reconstruction. Burke and the Leafs had a busy off-season to say the least, adding Mike Komisarek, Francois Beauchemin, Colton Orr, Garnet Exelby, Jonas Gustavsson and Boston's leading goal scorer from last season, Phil Kessel. While Kessel won't be ready to play until around mid-November, the addition of number 81 gives Toronto a top-line forward they desperately need for the future. What's not to like? If Jonas Gustavsson struggles at the top level, the Leafs will be forced to rely upon Vesa Toskala, who has never quite provided the numbers expected of him when initially acquired from the San Jose Sharks.

10) New York Rangers - In typical Glen Sather fashion, the Rangers had an expensive offseason. The biggest addition for the blue-shirts is that of Marian Gaborik, the Minnesota Wild's franchise leading point man, to a five year deal worth over 37 million dollars. The right winger, who's experienced considerable injury woes as of late, has been productive when in the line-up. The Rangers were also able to add toughguy Donald Brashear, Boston University standout defensemen Matt Gilroy and secondary scorers Enver Lisin, Vinny Prospal and Chris Higgins. What's not to like? The lack of NHL-ready defensemen on the New York blueline will be a concern as they're in perhaps the best division in the Eastern Conference when it comes to scoring goals.

11) Atlanta Thrashers - While the big question in Atlanta continues to surround Ilya Kovalchuk and whether or not the captain of the Thrashers will remain that by this year's trading deadline, the Thrashers did go out and get some additions to complement their Russian superstar. The biggest names arriving in Atlanta are none other than Nik Antropov and Pavel Kubina, two former Toronto Maple Leafs. The presence of Antropov will without question give the Thrashers another weapon on the powerplay for Ilya and the same goes for Kubina. What's not to like? While Kari Lehtonen is recovering from back surgery, the Thrashers will look to Johan Hedberg and Ondrej Pavelec to stop the pucks. The problem arises even more so when Lehtonen does return because injuries to the back are just so unpredictable when it comes to goaltenders.

12) Ottawa Senators - The problem in Ottawa, for seemingly ever, has been the lack of a true number one goaltender. That problem will continue in 2009-10 as the Sens are expected to role with a platoon of Brian Elliot and the surgery-recovering Pascal Leclaire. Without question the biggest news involving the Ottawa Senators came with the trading of Dany Heatley to San Jose in exchange for Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo. They, along with the addition of Alexei Kovalev from the Montreal Canadiens will also bolster the Senators anemic secondary scoring situation. What's not to like? The blueline. While players such as Anton Volchenkov and Chris Phillips are good for a depth chart, they should not be relied upon as a top defensive pairing.

13) Florida Panthers - I almost fell for this club last season, their play, including a shutout of the Boston Bruins made me a believer. I was convinced that the Florida Panthers were going to the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and that Jay Bouwmeester would fall in love with the Panthers and re-sign. Boy, was I was wrong. Due in large part to Bouwmeester's struggles following the trade deadline, the Florida Panthers finished 10th in the Eastern Conference. Although disappointment resonated (well, sort of) in Florida, the Panthers were able to see young stars such as David Booth develop and shine brightly in the Sunshine State. With the loss of Jay-Bo, the Panthers were able to add forwards Steve Reinprecht, Dominic Moore, blue-liners Dennis Seidenberg, Jordan Leopold, and goaltender Scott Clemmensen. What's not to like? The puck-moving ability from the blue-line certainly dropped with the departure of Bouwmeester, but the Panthers top six forwards are simply disappointing and not enough to compete in this year's Eastern Conference.

14) Tampa Bay Lightning - Oh the Barry Melrose era in Tampa, what an illustrious 16 games for all involved, especially Steven Stamkos, who flourished with his near no-ice time, right? After a 5-7-4 start, the Lightning fired the famed coach turned ESPN-analyst and following a voodoo-like hex put on the Lightning by Melrose after his departure, the team began to experience limited success under Rick Tocchet. Amid rumors of Vinny leaving for Montreal, the captain of the Lightning remained in black and blue after the trading deadline, investing some sign of faith towards the future for Bolts fans. The Lightning's biggest additions are on the blueline, with the drafting of Sweedish defensemen Victor Hedman and signing of Mattias Ohlund to a contract. The Bolts were also able to add back-up goaltender Antero Niittymaki through free agency and left winger Alex Tanguay on the cheap in September with a one year deal. What's not to like? Even with the addition of Tanguay, the Lightning become the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League after their second line, up front and on defense.

15) New York Islanders - I suppose there should be no surprise here. This team has a lot of woes, perhaps not as many as the Phoenix Coyotes, but still, the concerns are there. While the Jonathan Tavares era is beginning on the Isle, the question is for how long? Following continuing refusals of the "Lighthouse Plan" proposed by Islanders owner Charles Wang, the frustrated owner is beginning to explore other options that involve relocating the team. On the ice however, the Islanders were able to add Rob Schremp from Edmonton through waivers and two fringe-starting goaltenders in Dwayne Roloson and Marty Biron. What's not to like? There's a question that requires an answer almost too big to comprehend. For the Islanders, the fact that their best defensemen behind Mark Streit is Brendan Witt is an obvious cause for concern.

Eastern Conference Finals Prediction: Boston Bruins vs. Philadelphia Flyers.

Introduction To Offensive Production: New Look Bruins Defense Ready To Shine

Remember when the best defensemen Boston had to offer was the 6'7 pylon known as Hal Gill and a Brian Leetch just above the age to receive the senior discount at your local Dunkin' Donuts? Oh my, how thing's change.

The official transformation of the Boston blue-line continues into their third year into 2009-10 under head coach Claude Julien and continuing to be anchored by team captain and Norris Trophy winner Zdeno Chara.

Under Julien and the ever-so-loved defensive trap style of play, the Bruins have gone from 13th to 8th and from 8th to 1st. While Boston has seen a drastic increase in offensive production from their forwards, the focus of their play remains to be on a strong defense that reduces the oppositions scoring chances greatly.

The rock of the defense, as previously mentioned, is behemoth and the tallest player in NHL history, Zdeno Chara. The Slovak blue-liner, who was harshly ridiculed for his poor play under Dave Lewis in 2006-07 has blossomed under Claude Julien and has seen an overall rise in his level of play due in large part to less minutes per game. Along with increasing his powerplay productivity, Chara has become a more effective penalty killer and taken less unnecessary penalties in the process of attempting to save the day.

Alongside Chara for close to three seasons was veteran defensemen and three-time Stanley Cup champion Aaron Ward. Admired in Boston for his no-nonsense attitude and down-and-dirty style of play, Ward gained popularity rapidly in the Hub of Hockey, spawning a short-lived series of t-shirt's depicting fans as members of the "Psych Ward". However, with his rather unfriendly 2.5 million dollar salary counting against the Boston cap in 2009-10, Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli made the call and sent the 36-year old back to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Patrick Eaves and a 4th round draft choice.

While Eaves was quickly bought out, the plan of utilizing the newly freed up cap space to sign Phil Kessel was steadily gaining momentum. It came as a surprise to Boston fans across the map as the money was instead used to bring in puck-moving defensemen Derek Morris on a one year contract worth 3.3 million dollars.

Adding another piece of the puzzle, Morris is expected to bring an added presence on the powerplay to take the pressure off Bruins such as Zdeno Chara and Dennis Wideman to carry the play from the point. Despite his upside, Morris is coming off a rather disappointing season split between Phoenix and the better of the two New York's. In 75 total games last season, Morris tallied 20 points, five of which coming on the powerplay.

As Morris added at the annual "State of the Bruins" meeting at the TD Garden, it's become more about winning than anything else for him and with an attitude like that and willingness to buy into the Julien system, it'll certainly be interesting to see how he performs for the Bruins in 2009-10.

Behind the two headliners on the blue-line, the B's may possess one of the best unsung hero-defensemen in Dennis Wideman. The former oft-criticized defensemen known for his failure in the shootout had a breakout year in 2008-09, scoring 50 points and finishing with a stellar +32. Although his slapshot is still on par with Happy Gilmore when it comes to accuracy, the Ontario native certainly knows how to dish the puck around on the powerplay and has 30 assists on the powerplay over the past two seasons to prove it.

Likely to be paired with Wideman is outspoken activist and gritty defensemen Andrew Ference. Originally acquired in a trade that sent him and teammate Chuck Kobasew to Boston for Wayne Primeau and Brad Stuart, Ference has been the epitome of a team player. Whether he's fighting Sean Avery, Sidney Crosby or carbon emissions, Ference has never been afraid to voice his opinion and let his play do the talking.

While the 5'11 defensemen isn't afraid to lay his body on the line, injuries have hindered Ference throughout his tenure as a Bruin. Considering the fact that this is the final year of Ference's deal, expect the 30 year old to leave it all on the ice even more.

Seemingly poised to breakout is Bruins' "caveman" and bruising defensemen, Mark Stuart. Boston's first round selection from the 2003 NHL Draft, Stuart is coming off his best season with the big club. A natural leader, Stuart experienced an increase in offensive output, more than doubling his point total from all of the season before while remaining to be one of the baddest son-of-a-guns to lace them up on a nightly basis.

Hoping to continue to make strides in the NHL as an offensive defensemen despite his lack of a spleen is Matt Hunwick. The 24 year old is coming off a mini-breakout season in Boston where he passed Matt Lashoff on the depth chart and contributed 27 points in 53 games, including an impressive +15. The seventh round pick from the 2004 NHL Draft, Hunwick was also used sparingly as a forward and could perhaps see more time up there if the Bruins elect to use him as a hybrid of sorts similar to Ian White in Toronto or perhaps Dustin Byfuglien in Chicago.

Joining the big club in Boston is Providence Bruins stand-out and Eddie Shore Award winner, Johnny Boychuk. The arrival of Boychuk into Boston although expected, comes at the cost of fan favorite Shane Hnidy, who earned the nickname "Sheriff" and was actually a popular jersey among the Garden crowd. With the Sheriff now in Minnesota with the new-look Wild, the time for Boychuk to fight his way into the NHL line-up is upon us. Boychuk's numbers in the American Hockey League are nothing but promising seeing as how the 25 year old put up 20 goals and 66 points in 78 games for Providence in 2008-09.

On the farm, the Bruins have new faces with limited NHL experience such as Drew Fata and Andy Wozniewski ready to get the call in the event of a rash of injuries striking the boys on Causeway Street (and no, not the five dollar hat guy). Fata, who has eight games of NHL experience under his belt, all with the New York Islanders, is a known tough guy who's never too shy to drop the gloves in defense of his teammates. Loathed in Toronto, Wozniewski will provide a big body on the Providence blue-line is likely to spend the full season down in the AHL unless a plague of injuries finds their way to Boston.

Along with these NHL-fringers, the Bruins also have Adam McQuaid under contract for the upcoming season and could use him as an emergency call-up to fill in with Boston with his 6'4 frame and physical style of play.

Regardless of the offensive surge in Boston, the Claude Julien philosophy promotes a strong foundation on the blue line. Expect to see more of the same grit, passion, physicality and an added offensive boost from the blue-line of the Garden for the good guys this season.

The Vezina & The Flash: Boston Looks To Goalies For Anchoring

Not since the days of Andy Moog and Reggie Lemelin (Apologies to Andrew Raycroft and Hannu Toivonen) were the Bruins considered to have as much strength in net as they did in 2008-09. The goaltender duo of Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez proved to be the best in the National Hockey League, taking home the Jennings Trophy for fewest goals against along with Tim Thomas leaving Vegas with the Vezina trophy in June.

Heading into the off-season, it was pretty much a known fact that Fernandez wouldn't be returning to the Bruins for a third season with the club. The 35 year old, who was acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Wild back in 2007, was seemingly in a do-or-die moment when it came to his health. Fernandez, who was sidelined for 78 games of the 2007-08 season with a severe knee injury that required surgery had just one more chance to prove he could perform at a high level in a contract year with Boston.

As the rigorous schedule of a National Hockey League season took it's toll on Fernandez's back and knees, the netminder often referred to as "The Mexican" (he's from Canada, go figure) seemed ready for what could be one final go 'round with Boston.

Fernandez performed admirably in 2008-09, finishing with a 16-8-3 record and a .910 save percentage for the Boston Bruins. Manny's big moment in Boston come in October and didn't end until December as Fernandez performed exceedingly well in a platoon role with Tim Thomas, going 12-2-1 in the 2008 calendar year with a 1.94 goals against average.

The lack of playing time that followed Fernandez in 2009 was due in large part to the success of Tim Thomas along with what was considered either a back sprain, although rumored to be an "attitude issue" that limited 'Mandez' to just 12 appearances in the second half of the season. Fernandez went on to finish the season poorly, dropping four of his last six games.

Obviously, the play of Tim Thomas went on to lead to both zero appearances in the postseason for Manny and a Vezina Trophy for the 35 year old Thomas. The Michigan-native and perhaps one of the best stories in Bruins history put up career highs in all categories with his 36-11-7 record and league leading .933 save percentage and 2.10 goals against average. His strong play in 2008-09 led to the once dubbed "poor-man's Dom Hasek" goaltender to receive a four year contract worth 20 million dollars.

Heading into this season, Thomas is clearly the number one starter for the Bruins for the fourth year in a row. However, Thomas will have new competition on the bench as prized Finnish goaltender Tuukka Rask has finally cracked the big league line-up and joined Boston. Rask, who was originally acquired from Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Andrew Raycroft in what's considered the biggest steal in recent Bruins trade history has spent the past two seasons playing for the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League. In his two seasons of seasoning with the P-Bruins, Rask posted a 60-33-6 record and 2.42 goals against average.

Last season, Rask joined the Bruins for a brief stint and participated in one game during the entire season. This one game proved to be the best of Rask's short NHL career thus far. The Finnish Flash held the New York Rangers off the scoresheet, stopping all 35 shots his faced from the blue-shirts offense. His shut-out on January 31st sparked great internet banter from every wannabe-expert who believed that Rask should have either traded Fernandez to make room for Rask, and or give the reins of the starting job to Rask.

Ignoring the hype from the know-nothings who dub Rask as the Finnish version of Roberto Luongo, there's still a lot to look forward to when it comes to Tuukka. On the surface, Rask appears to be that perfectly mechanical goaltender that every NHL G.M salivates over. At just 22 years old, it's very possible and entirely likely that Rask will only get better with time.

The Boston Bruins are expected to continue to limit the workload of Tim Thomas for stamina purposes while giving Rask his first real taste of the National Hockey League. My realistic expectations of Thomas is to play around 55 games around while Rask will get in for 25, perhaps a little more or less if he is to live up to the hype.

On the farm, the Providence Bruins will have the ability to select through a plethora of goaltending options throughout the year in Dany Sabourin, Kevin Regan and newly signed Matt Dalton. While Sabourin is expected to be the number one for Providence, P-Bruins coach Rob Murray will undoubtedly try to give Matt Dalton a good look while UNH-alum and Boston native Kevin Regan re-cooperates from off-season hip surgery.

Something worthy to note, the Boston Bruins likely have the two most volatile-tempered goaltenders in the crease this season thanks to Tuukka's affection for throwing milk-crates whereas Thomas has a tendency to flip nets off their moorings, tackle forwards, knock down wingers, and chase after agitators when things don't go quite his way.

"Hey, What Happened To 30 In 30?"

Good question, I'll give you credit.

Over the past two weeks or so, I've had many e-mails, texts, Facebook messages and the like asking me the same thing. That same thing is of course, "What happened to the rest of your 30 teams in 30 days?". My simple answer? College, work, more college and even more work.

Since starting school about two weeks ago, I've had a difficult time finding the time, or making the time to devote serious time to teams such as the St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks. Some of the blogs got done, others? Not so much. However, with Bruins season now (almost) upon us, the time to blog is back.

In the end, I apologize to my readers who were looking forward to seeing my thoughts on the Columbus Blue Jackets, San Jose Sharks, and even the Carolina Hurricanes. If the Chronicles From The Garden were a three-piece team, or perhaps even a two-piece team, this task would have ultimately gotten done. As any Chicago Cubs fan would say, there's always next year.

Forget about the other 29 teams because right now, it's all Bruins baby. Tonight will begin my three part preview of the Boston Bruins in 2009-'10.

Ty

Final Farewell To A Legend: Bruins Broadcast Legend Cusick Passes Away

It may be over twelve years since we've heard announcer Fred Cusick yell "SCORE!", but the memories left with us of Cusick's 35+ years in the Boston Bruins booth have continued to live on with the club through the years.

Sadly, it was revealed this morning that Cusick, who had been battling cancer at the age of 90 had lost his battle with the disease and passed away early today in his Massachusetts home. Arguably Boston's most famous announcer (Johnny Most being the best competition), Cusick was just one day away from his introduction into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

During his 36 years in the booth for Boston, Cusick called what is considered the most formative years in Bruins history. He was the premier announcer for the club during both the Bobby Orr, Ray Bourque and Cam Neely era's and called both of the last two B's Stanley Cup victories in the 1970's.

Thanks to his phenomenal work when it came to calling the games and bringing the excitement to your television set, Cusick was the first American broadcaster inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and was also a recipient of the Lester Patrick Award in his career.

Besides his obvious goal calls still heard during most Boston pregame videos, the patented enthusiastic "score" call that Cusick became famous for has transcended into the game calling of current Bruins broadcaster and fan-favorite/loathed Jack Edwards.

Hockey heaven has found their voice.

30 Teams In 30 Days: Stop, Hiller Time?

When realizing the success of the Anaheim Ducks in this past decade, it's somewhat reminiscent of the Reese's Puffs commercial.."Hockey? In Anaheim?".

Just two seasons removed from their Stanley Cup Championship season, the Ducks were a team seemingly relying on their age time and time again. Would Selanne be back with his ugly JOFA helmet? Would Niedermayer shave his Santa beard and lace 'em up for another season?

The answer to both of these much-pondered queries was a profound yes as both Selanne and Niedermayer provided key clutch performances to propel the Ducks into the NHL Playoffs for a fourth straight season.

In the playoffs, the Anaheim Ducks and young goaltender Jonas Hiller quickly became the top story of the first round as they eliminated the 2009 Presidents Trophy winner and heavily favorited San Jose Sharks out of the first round in six games. On top of having an added advantage as they took on the NHL's perennial choke-artists in the post-season, the breakout of Jonas Hiller is giving Duck fans more than just a few reasons to smile.

After holding San Jose to just 10 goals in six games in the post-season, the 27 year old Swiss netminder finished with a 7-6 record with an impressive 2.23 goals against average, which should stand out even more considering his particularly unfavorable match-up's against both the Sharks and Red Wings on an eighth seeded club.

As the club was sent home following a Game 7 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, the off-season topic of what to do with aging defensemen and top dollar defensemen Chris Pronger loomed over the Ducks much like the 6'7" shadow he casts. On the day of the 2009 NHL Draft, this issue was addressed head on as Pronger was sent to Philadelphia in exchange for draft picks and former Ducks forward Joffrey Lupul.

Lupul is coming off his best season with the Flyers where he put up 50 points in 79 games for the black and orange. While Lupul's contract is more of a headache than relief as the 25 year old is set to make 4,250,000 a season through the 2012-'13 season.

As time would tell, this move was just a precursor to a fresh summer makeover done by Ducks GM and chair-tossing fan Bob Murray.

Although the club's youth was beginning to shine with the breakout season of rookie Bobby Ryan, the Ducks were still in the midst of losing veteran leadership up front with the departures of Rob Niedermayer and Sammy Pahlsson through free agency. As one defensive minded Scandanavia based center was exiting town, a one of greater hype was about to step into Anaheim.

Surely stating our initial shock and confusion at the Ducks' signing of Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu didn't quite give it enough justice. All NHL fans heard throughout the entire off-season was that Saku was bound to end up in Minnesota to play with his brother Mikko and be the second line center that the Wild direly needed. If it wasn't the Wild, it seemed to be Montreal. Quite frankly, the idea of Koivu going to Anaheim had the makings of an NHL09 trade coming to life in the form of a rumor mill.

Koivu is coming off another Koivu-like season in Montreal where the Finnish forward put up at least 50 points for the sixth straight season. Regardless of injuries holding the 34-year old center to just 65 games, Koivu's 50 points were good for third on the Habs roster.

Following the major additions of Lupul and Koivu and some key departures with Pronger, Niedermayer and Pahlsson, the Ducks went out and added role players Nick Boynton, Evgeny Artyukhin and Leafs goaltending prospect Justin Pogge.

Barring any trades, the Ducks' line-up should go as follows come opening night.

Corey Perry - Ryan Getzlaf - Teemu Selanne
Bobby Ryan - Saku Koivu - Joffrey Lupul
Ryan Carter - Todd Marchant - Evgeny Artyukhin
Mike Brown - Petteri Nokelainen - George Parros
Extra Skater: Andrew Ebbett

Scott Niedermayer - Ryan Whitney
Nick Boynton - James Wisniewski
Sheldon Brookbank - Steve Eminger
Extra Skater: Luca Sbisa

Jonas Hiller
J.S Giguere

Perhaps it's the added Finnish influence, or maybe it's the varying facial hair on this team which makes them so fun to watch. I believe that this year the Ducks will significantly improve with a steady goaltending situation in place for the 2009-'10 season and continuing progression of Jonas Hiller into a stud goaltender in the NHL.

Players To Watch: A player to keep a close eye on is Jean-Sebastien Giguere. The 32 year old is coming off a troubling season where he finished with a 19-18-6 record and was a bench warmer for the first time in his tenure with the Ducks in the playoffs. If Hiller continues his success and wins the starting job over Giggy, how will the Quebec native take it? Will he willfully accept the role of a back-up goalie or will the Ducks begin to look to move their six million dollar goaltender?

Prediction: 2nd in Pacific Division. 6th in Western Conference.

Bruins Winter Classic Jersey Leak?

On the right is a picture of Tim Thomas and one of the Boston Bruins ice girls or Carrie Milbank of NHL.com as one commentor pointed out (any confirmation is greatly appreciated). Notice anything askew? No, it's not Thomas' new watch, it's the jersey. Poising the question, is this the Boston Bruins 2010 Winter Classic jersey?

If so, here's a few pro's and con's of the jersey that the Bruins will don when they take on the Philadelphia Flyers at Fenway Park on New Year's Day.

Pro's

• Very reminscent of the photo's from the early Johnny Bucyk era and jersey sold on Willie O'Ree appreciation day. Everyone loves the Chief and diversity.
• The sleeve patterns don't stray too far away from the Bruins current scheme. Same goes for the shoulders.
• The jersey numbering and letter will most likely be white with black outlining, which should look absolutely awesome.
• Incorporates all of the Boston Bruins normal colors, with what looks to be some added brown on the spokes of the 'B'.

Con's

• This 'B' is far too cartoon-ish for a serious Bruins fan.
• Doesn't this look an awful lot like the old Providence throwback jerseys?
• We know that the Bruins were trying to go for a Pittsburgh look with the powder blue, something that would incorporate older colors but still be very popular among the fans, so maybe our expectations were a bit over the top for the (possible) end result.

Overall, this jersey gets a thumbs up from me if this will be the one worn by the Bruins on New Year's Day. Despite the fact that it may not be this one, or this one, or this one (thank Eddie Shore), it'll still be better than whatever the Flyers could possibly put together looking at their jersey history. Bright orange? Not a good look unless you're working the tarmac at Logan Airport.

Report: Bruins & Phil Kessel Done Negotiating

Show Phil the money, right Peter?

Evidently not as Boston.com Bruins blogger K.P Dupont is reporting that Kessel and agent Wade Arnott are done in attempting to reach a deal on a new contract with the Boston Bruins.

To say the two sides have been in disagreement through their negotiations would be putting it lightly as the two sides have almost had no communication according to Kessel's agent. However, reports also indicate that the Bruins have made several offers to Phil all of which varying in length, money, options and perhaps even Garden Gold gift cards and free hats? Regardless of where this saga is bound to turn next, the idea of Phil Kessel and the Bruins coming to an agreement is becoming more of a pipe-dream or pipe-nightmare depending on your stance when it comes to the 21-year old sniper.

Kessel, who achieved career highs in virtually every offensive category in 2008-09 is coming off a 36 goal season and an even more impressive post-season where he had 6goals and 11 points in 11 games. Despite Kessel's success with the club this past season, the winger remains unsigned, but why?

Firstly touching on the 36 goals, keep in mind 22 of them were assisted by 60+ assist man Marc Savard. As something I've vehemently preached, how are we to tell that Phil Kessel could produce without Savard setting him up? Without playing with Savard, Kessel's highest goal total was 19, achieved in 82 games of the 2007-08 season. Especially considering Savard's possibility of leaving Boston when his deal expires, the risk of devoting big money to a player only capable of producing with a number one center is there and could hurt the Bruins greatly.

As a professional athlete, the idea of getting your big payday is understandable after you put together a great season, but it's also something that the Bruins do not have the luxury of doing without having to sacrifice a significant piece of the future. With Kessel's rumored four to five million dollar per year asking price, the Bruins would not only have to move Chuck Kobasew or Marco Sturm on top of Andrew Ference but they'd also have to move someone in the following summer.

This would definitely create issues as Bruins wingers (and more well rounded players) Milan Lucic and Blake Wheeler are up for new contracts at the seasons end. On top of Lucic and Wheeler, the Bruins also have to give new contracts to defensemen and epitomized Bruin Mark Stuart and goaltender of tomorrow Tuukka Rask.

In typical hockey internet fashion, as Kessel remains unsigned the list of teams rumored to have interest is growing. Included in this list of teams and likely to be the favorite are the Toronto Maple Leafs, managed by local boy Brian Burke.

Normally where there's smoke, there's no fire in Toronto but with Burke's recent move of reacquiring the Leafs' 2010 second round pick, the idea of an offer sheet heading Kessel's way from Leaf Nation is seemingly more likely and the odds on favorite as of right now. Next to the Leafs, the list of teams interested are rumored to include the New York Rangers and San Jose Sharks.

Despite the rumored interest with Toronto, the problems of Burke giving big money to Kessel would reside in the fact that the Leafs lack a number one center to feed the puck to Kessel. While both Mikhali Grabovski and Matt Stajan are coming off solid seasons, they are simply not in the same caliber or held in the same breath that Bruins center Marc Savard is.

After Toronto, both the New York Rangers and San Jose Sharks would have to arguably move key pieces to obtain Kessel. In New York, after the addition of Marian Gaborik, the Rangers have little to no wiggle room left (1.1 million to be exact) to even sign their own restricted free agent Brandon Dubinsky so a trade or offer sheet for Kessel from the Rangers seems very unlikely.

In San Jose, the Sharks have close to four million dollars left in cap space and with Joe Pavelski and Devin Setoguchi on the rise (and up for new deals next summer) they could arguably create a very strong line of the future with the addition of Kessel. If the Sharks are able to either move Marleau or not re-sign him to a new deal when the (former) captain's 6.8 million dollar contract comes off the books the Sharks would be in the clear to add Kessel without any problems.

Personally, I think that with Sturm's return to the line-up along with continuing development of Blake Wheeler, Milan Lucic and David Krejci that Phil Kessel's not a must have on this club if the price is too high, which it appears to be. The Boston Bruins as is are very thin on defense and any trade that will likely send Andrew Ference out of town will hurt the club more than help with Johnny Boychuk and Andy Wozniewksi being next in line to fill in for the big club. Phil Kessel, despite his talent has seemingly been out of place in Boston under Claude Julien and has repeatedly been rumored to be dangled as trading bait at the trade deadline.

Does Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli not believe in Kessel? It's entirely possible, but who could blame him? Kessel, despite being a player with supreme offensive skills, has not shown to be a complete hockey player that'll fit within the Bruins system and in his three seasons with the Bruins has had his stretches of poor play and questionable decision making skills.

As the Bruins head into the upcoming NHL season, the question marks of what magic the club will work with limited cap space following the '09-10 campaign will grow even larger than the year before and the headache of inconsistency that Phil Kessel could be is something the Bruins do not need for years to come.

With the NHL season three weeks away, expect the fate of Phil Kessel and possible future with the Bruins to be decided sooner rather than later before cap space becomes a priority and legitimate issue for many of Kessel's potential suitors.

Bruins Sign Defensemen Wozniewski

Here come the Stephane Yelle and Glen Metropolit-like signings.

Today, the Boston Bruins have announced that they've agreed to terms with blue-liner Andy Wozniewski on a one-year contract with the club. This is the fourth club for the 29-year old defensemen within the past two seasons. After finishing the 2007-08 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Wozniewski signed with the St. Louis Blues and was subsequently traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins during the trading deadline.

Wozniewski spent all but except for one game in the American Hockey League between the Wilkes Barre-Scranton Penguins and Peoria Rivermen. In his one NHL game with the Blues in 2008-09, Wozniewski played just under seven minutes and was credited for one hit.

In the AHL, Wozniewski tallied 21 points in 74 games between two AHL affiliates and had an impressive postseason for the Rivermen with his 2 points and +1 in 6 games for the Blues farm team.

Although these AHL numbers may not shine out as greatly as those of Johnny Boychuk, what Wozniewski brought to the Maple Leafs in his last relevant season in the National Hockey League is very noteworthy for a player bound to be a seventh defensemen for the Bruins, if that. On top of having nine points in 48 games for Toronto, Wozniewski didn't shy away from the rough stuff as the big blue-liner was tallied for 43 hits along with 56 blocked shots.

There's no need for an outcry of how this move will take cap space away from signing Phil Kessel because this signing is without question for 550,000 dollars or less.

The beauty of this signing is that it gives the B's another "fringe" player in the event of a rash of injuries striking the Bruins. The mentioned "fringe" are players who are good enough to be top players at the AHL level while also having the talent to fill in on an NHL squad for a short stint. The Bruins now have two presumably waiting in Providence with Drew Fata and now Wozniewski.

Personally, I'm a huge fan of this move for what it brings. In short, Wozniewski is a 6'5 behemoth signed as a cheap insurance policy. Similar to Hnidy, Wozniewski's size will be his biggest strength for the club. If all goes as planned, Wozniewski will only make an appearance for Providence this season. Worst case scenario, he's thrown into a familiar division and defensemen friendly system.

25 Predictions For The 2009-10 Boston Bruins

The month of waiting has begun. We're officially 29 days away from the Bruins taking to the ice in their home opener against Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, or "Crapitals" as Mike Milbury evidently prefers. To put it lightly, the Bruins are expected to produce huge results in 2009-10 and are favored by many to finish with the top record in the Eastern Conference. In what I'm hoping won't be Montreal Canadiens 2007-08 to Habs circa 2008-09, here are 25 predictions I'm willing to make about this year's Boston Bruins.

1. The Bruins will win the Northeast Division in similar fashion to the 2008-09 club.

2. Tuukka Rask will perform up to snuff and will become the premier piece in any trade rumor involving the Boston Bruins on HockeyBuzz, HFBoards or The Fourth Period. (C'sFromTheG5).

3. Bruins fans will fall in love with Steve Begin's physical style of play by the 5th home game of the season.

4. Dennis Wideman will continue to make Bruins fans forget about Brad Boyes as he'll put up 30+ points on the powerplay, but will continue to frustrate them at the same time with his errant slapshots.

5. Bruins goalie Tim Thomas will continue to get better with age and will continue to build on his Disney-movie-like story as he's named starter for Team USA in the 2010 Winter Olympics.

6. Byron Bitz will continue to win the hearts of Bruins fans, creating the next Lucic-like craze. Expect a song to the tune of Sweet's song "Ballroom Blitz" to eventually come out by someone. Bitz? Bitz? Byron Bitz?

7. Mark Stuart will now officially take over as the Bruins premier juggernaut on the blue-line when it comes to blocking shots, throwing forearm shivers and chime in offensively time and time again.

8. With P.J Axelsson jetting back to Sweeden to play for his hometown of Frolunda of the SEL, Patrice Bergeron will take over as the Bruin with the most stylish hair-doo.

9. Phil Kessel will be a member of the 2009-10 Boston Bruins when he signs a one year tender at the unfortunate expense of Chuck Kobasew and/or Andrew Ference and we conceivably could do this fun saga (of lack thereof) all again in the Summer of 2010, doesn't that sound fun?

10. Michael Ryder will score 30 goals, regardless of playing on a line with Marc Savard or David Krejci.

11. The Bruins Top 9 forwards will be the elite of the Eastern Conference, perhaps the NHL and are better than any Top 9 you can assemble on MySpace.

12. While Aaron Ward will be cheered for his contributions on the Bruins blueline despite his departure with the club for Carolina, Scott Walker will be booed by the Garden faithful louder than Alex Kovalev, Sidney Crosby or Mike Komisarek ever was when the Hurricanes come to town on October 3rd.

13. The Bruins will continue to make the TD Garden a house of horrors for Habs goaltender Carey Price.

14. Patrice Bergeron will officially have his pre-concussion swagger back. The 24 year old center was showing signs of returning to form during the playoffs against Montreal and Carolina where he and line-mates Mark Recchi and Chuck Kobasew acted as the B's number one shutdown line. Although he may not return to the 70-point level in 2009-10, he simply won't need to considering the Bruins talent at the center position.

15. Bruins new comer Derek Morris will perform well in the Julien system and take the pressure off of Zdeno Chara and Dennis Wideman to carry the powerplay from the blue-line. With his expected ice time along with style of play Morris will also record his highest point total since 2003-04 as he'll put up 32+ points with Boston in 2009-10.

16. The 2010 Winter Classic will not disappoint any of it's viewers as Green Monster seats will sell for 15,000 dollars and/or your first born child on craigslist.com.

17. Vladimir Sobotka will continue to struggle on the NHL roster due to his limited role, creating doubts about his career as an NHLer, or at least within the Bruins system. Sobotka may have had a combined 57 points in 58 regular season/post-season games for the Providence Bruins but his dissatisfying -10 on a very well goaltended Bruins team last season is cause for concern.

18. The Providence Bruins will once again put together a highly competitive product under coach Rob Murray with strong play from their netminders and additions of Jamie Arniel, Yannick Riendeau along with others come later in the season and another season out of Brad Marchand.

19. The buyouts of Petr Schaefer, Patrick Eaves and Glen Murray will continue to hurt the Boston Bruins chances of acquiring a possible puzzle piece at the NHL Trading Deadline.

20. Blake Wheeler will have a breakout season as he fully conditions himself to a full NHL season. The 23 year old added 15 pounds to his 6'5 frame and will be expected to use his size to his advantage even more in '09-10. Even if the point totals only see a slight bump, a change in his style of play will be noticed by both Bruins fans and coaches alike as he continues his progression into a solid NHL winger with supreme offensive skills.

21. Matt Hunwick will make strides as a Byfuglien-like hybrid of sorts for the Bruins with his ability to play forward at an acceptable level along with being a sound defensemen.

22. Andrew Ference will still ride his bike to games when the weather permits, but will also make a statement as to why he should remain in Boston and in the Bruins organization with his strong defense and fearless attitude out on the ice.

23. Captain Zdeno Chara will set a new career high in both goals and powerplay goals in 2009-10 due to the possible downgrades in goaltending within the Eastern Conference. (See: Toronto, Ottawa, Philadelphia and Florida).

24. The B's fourth line of Shawn Thornton, Byron Bitz and Steve Begin will absolutely destruct every player of the opposition when out on the ice this season.

25. Jack Edwards will continue to make absolutely insane remarks during games but Boston fans will continue to love him because well, the man calls an absolutely excellent game. He may be no Fred Cusick, but the excitement and enthusiasm Edwards brings to every game regardless of it being Game 7 or a regular season game against the Phoenix Coyotes is enough to keep us entertained. One thing's for sure, the man is high.

UNCONFIRMED: Bruins To Sign Bouillon

Coming in from CKAC radio in Montreal, reports are indicating that the Bruins are on the verge of signing former Canadiens defensemen Francis Bouillon to a contract. Of course, this signing is currently unconfirmed and as you may or may not remember, rumors had Bouillon signing with the New York Rangers about two weeks ago so take this for what's it worth.

However if the reports are true and Bouillon is set to become a Bruin, this fills the need for a seventh defensemen on the Boston roster. With the departure of Aaron Ward via trade and loss of Steve Montador (thank you) along with Shane Hnidy to free agency the Bruins defensive depth went out the window and the B's were left with just six NHL defensemen.

Bouillon is known as a scrappy, smaller statured defensemen who's not afraid to throw his body around. In 54 games for the Canadiens this year, Bouillon had 9 points and finished with a -7. The 5'8 defensemen was also credited with 112 hits and 55 blocked shots in these 54 games.

For Bruins fans, Bouillon is probably best known for his fight with at-the-time Bruins enforcer Jeremy Reich. That scrap can be viewed here.

If this report is true, this will be the third former Montreal Canadien that's played for Claude Julien in Montreal to be added to the B's roster. Michael Ryder being the first, Steve Begin being the second and now Francis Bouillon.

Leafs Invite Former Bruin Jason Allison To Camp

Perhaps a footnote if happening in any other month, but with the dreadfully slow month of hockey news in August this stuck out. It appears that, according to the Toronto Globe & Mail that the Toronto Maple Leafs have invited former Bruins captain Jason Allison to their camp on a try-out basis.
If you reside on the West coast, you probably remember Jason Allison best from his tenure with the Kings, where he, Adam Deadmarsh and Ziggy Palffy created the "LAPD" line for the early 2000's Kings team. However, if you're from Boston you remember Allison as the consistent performer and buffer of captains between Ray Bourque and Joe Thornton.

Throughout his tenure with the B's, Allison was a consistent performer for a well, average Boston club. In his fully healthy seasons in the Hub, Allison put up 76 points or more and even in an injury-riddled season that held him to just 37 games, Allison continued to perform strongly and finished with 28 points.

Allison's best stat with Boston was undoubtedly his playoff numbers. The 6'3 center scored 19 points in 18 career playoff games in Boston.

As he left Boston and went on to Los Angeles, Allison continued to be a strong performer before a neck injury shortened his 2002-03 campaign and subsequently kept him off the ice in 2003-04. Allison's return to the NHL came in 2005-06 with the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he was expected to provide an added veteran presence and size to the Toronto line-up.

Despite his 60 points in 66 games for Toronto, Leafs fans were not pleased with the seemingly lackadaisical effort Allison seemed to put out on the ice. In the midst of personal problems within his family, Allison left the game and hasn't returned since.

However, Leafs GM Brian Burke is willing to role on the dice and grant Allison an invitation to Leafs camp on a try-out basis. Does the 34-year old Allison still have the legs and skill to compete in the NHL? Can the Leafs pull off a Claude Lemieux to San Jose like move and add this veteran on a two-way contract?

Either way, it's a win-win for up and coming Toronto Maple Leafs.

Odd Manny Out: Where Will Fernandez Sign?

For Bruins netminder Manny Fernandez, the 2008-09 season was a renaissance of sorts. No, he didn't win the Vezina, play in the playoffs or be a consistent starter (due in large part to the spectacular play of Tim Thomas). However, what Fernandez did do was revitalize the idea of a future in the NHL.

Coming off a disasterous 2007-08 campaign where Fernandez played in just 4 games, going 2-2-0 with a 3.93 GAA before injuring his knee during practice. The knee, an injury that nagged the butterfly goalie in Minnesota would go on the keep Fernandez out of the Bruins next 73 games of the season. To put it simply, 2008-09 was in all likelihood Manny's last chance to put together a strong season if he had hopes for another contract in the National Hockey League.

Fernandez answered the call in 2008-09, putting together a solid season inbetween the iron for the Bruins, going 16-8-3 with a .910 SV%. Fernandez's best stretch for the black and gold came in November through December. In these two months, as the Bruins were on a tear Fernandez posted a 12-1-0 record with a 1.47 GAA.

Despite the success in 2008, Fernandez was unable to post stats on par with that into the second leg of the season in 2009. In 2009, Manny went 4-6-2 and was held to limited ice time due to a nagging back injury and Thomas' Vezina-worthy play. However, with Fernandez currently still among a vast sea of free agent goaltenders, where will Manny be playing in 2009-10?

One thing's for sure, it won't be Boston. After another year of seasoning in Providence, it's officially Tuukka Time (to ride the bench) in the Hub of Hockey. Rask is coming off yet another successful season for the Baby B's. In two seasons with Providence, Rask boasts a 60-33-6 record with five shut-out's and a .910 SV%. If Tuukka flops in this contract year, the Bruins have Dany Sabourin waiting in the wings down in Providence on a two-way contract.

As the Fernandez era draws to a close in Boston, what seems next for the 35 year old?

Recently, rumors have ran rampant about Fernandez signing a deal with the Montreal Canadiens. This rumor was generated largely because of the report that Fernandez was buying a home in Montreal. Despite this rumor's emergence, Fernandez is a Canada native and it's entirely possible he just enjoys the city of Montreal. However, an idea that gives this rumor some possible validity is the idea that Montreal is willing to send Tomas Plekanec along with back-up netminder Jaroslav Halak to San Jose in exchange for number one center Patrick Marleau.

Speaking of everyone's favorite northern California team, the San Jose Sharks are a team who could also use the services of Manny Fernandez as an insurance option to Sharks M.V.P Evgeni Nabokov. Although Nabokov has averaged 67 games in between the iron for the Sharks, one would think the lack of success in the playoffs has left Sharks GM Doug Murray contemplating whether or not more rest for Nabokov would be better for the Sharks come April, May and hopefully for them, June. If so, the Sharks best bet may not be to rely on Thomas Greiss in the event of an injury to Nabby, who currently has just three games of NHL experience under his belt, where he's gone 0-1-1 and has allowed 7 goals in 50 shots.

After Montreal and San Jose, a possible option for Fernandez may reside in Detroit. Considering the departure of Ty Conklin to St. Louis and Detroit's love of experienced NHL goaltenders, Fernandez could possibly be an option to ride the pine and fill in for Chris Osgood when needed. However, the age of both Fernandez and Osgood could play a factor in durability, a potentially large issue for the defending champions of the Western Conference.

A dark horse in Manny's search may be the Los Angeles Kings. While the Kings appear to have their man of the future in Jonathan Quick, a veteran such as Fernandez could be a positive mentor to the 23 year old goalie who nearly snuck the Kings into the playoffs.

Wherever he goes, Manny Fernandez is sure to provide a solid spot as a netminder who could easily play 20 to 30 games at a highly competitive level for a playoff caliber team. Given his injury history it's near impossible that Fernandez can be a full time starter for any NHL club. Given the rather barren market and dwindling cap space, it is very likely that Fernandez could be had on the cheap and as it currently stands he is perhaps the best available goalie still on the market considering the struggles of both Manny Legace and Olaf Kolzig in 2008-09.




While he may not have an NHL team yet, it appears as if Manny Fernandez landed a job doing commercials to get his name out there for potential suitors. (No, it's not really Mandez in the commercial, although this goaltender does sport a number 35 on his jersey).

Phil Kessel: A (Potentially) Necessary Evil

The mystery that has been Phil Kessel has lead the city of Boston to jumping with joy, clenching their fists in agony, cursing his name and then going back to loving him all in the same game. The elusive and skillful skater experienced a tremendous breakthrough in Boston over the course of this past season, but with a month of free agency in the books, the 21 year old winger is without a contract by the Bruins, or any other NHL team for that matter.

From being sidelined from games due to cancer treatment to scoring the game winning goal in the shootout in his first game back, from being benched in the Bruins 2008 Playoffs for his lackluster play to scoring two pivotal goals in the magical Game 6 Boston win, it seems that Phil Kessel has experienced a career worth of tests in just three years with the club.

As he's continued his progression as one of the Northeast Division's premier snipers (look out Kovalev). Beckoning the question, why haven't the Bruins or any other team signed the goal scoring phenom yet?

If Kessel would like to point the blame for why another team hasn't approached him with a contract, that blame would have to be pointed to Oilers General Manager Kevin Lowe. Following the Anaheim Ducks demolition of the Ottawa Senators to capture the 2007 Stanley Cup, the Ducks had a plethora of issues regarding their restricted and unrestricted free agents. As Dustin Penner came off a 45 point season where he put 29 goals past 'tenders, he was up for a new contract as one of the Ducks restricted free agents.

Knowing the level of talent Penner seemed to possess, Kevin Lowe put his offer sheet on the table for the Manitoba native. The offer sheet was not matched by the Ducks, as their highly touted young gun left the Honda Center for Edmonton with a five year contract that paid him 4.25 million dollars a season. In two seasons with the Oil, the 26 year old has seen his goal totals drop in each season, making the signing a rather questionable move by Lowe considering the draft picks lost along with the compensation.

Along with Penner, the Oilers sent it an offer sheet to Buffalo star Thomas Vanek for a 7-year deal worth 50 million dollars. The Sabres matched the deal, a price they didn't want to pay just yet, but had to in order to keep their young star. Since these events, Lowe has become an unpopular character among fellow General Managers and offer sheets for restricted free agents are considered messy and can be incredibly risky for what you're giving up.

Even without offer sheets being potentially dangerous moves, another reason Kessel hasn't gained considerable interest with a legitimate contract from a team is due in large part to his recent shoulder surgery. There's no denying that Kessel is a pure shooter, he relies on his shot to make his money. Now, with his recovery from a torn rotator cuff that required surgery expected to keep him out of a line-up until at least December.

Forget the recovery, the question remains, will Kessel still be as lethal as he was in 2008-09? With a smaller frame and non-physical style of play, the chance of Kessel becoming an injury-prone Eastern Conference version of Marian Gaborik during his days in Minnesota is there, whether we'd like to address it or not. Although Bruins players such as Zdeno Chara have come back strongly from shoulder surgery, the concern resides in the Bruins front office when it comes to Kessel's surgery.

Despite not being able ready for the start of the 2009-10, the price tag the Wisconsin native has placed on himself is both justified and not justified. With the rumored price tag between 3.9-5 million dollars a season, is Kessel truly in the position to dictate his own price?

Sure he had 36 goals in 2008-09, and probably would have had 40 if he wasn't stricken with mono in December, but after just one good season is he really worth the money? The stats would indicate he is as the players around Kessel average 6.5 million dollars, but those players with the exception of Loui Eriksson and Jeff Carter have been putting up consistent totals for years, something Kessel hasn't done by any means.

A knock on Kessel's success could undoubtedly be attributed to who he played with throughout the season. Playing with Savard, arguably the Eastern Conference's best playmaking center not named Sidney Crosby. Out of Kessel's 36 regular season goals, 22 of them were assisted by Marc Savard. Now, without Savard, Kessel's highest goal total was 19, that's just over half of what Kessel produced without Savard centering his line.

Now, let's say for argument's sake that Savard doesn't return to Boston when his contract expires following the 2009-10 season and Kessel's production dips dramatically despite being among the highest paid forwards. The reaction in Boston will be that of pure frustration for a player who can look either very good or very, very bad.

There's no denying that Kessel had made great strides into becoming a more complete player, but truth be told, he's still not a complete player. He may thrive on the powerplay, but his defense is still very shaky, he has no physicality in his play and has been oft criticized for not fitting in the Bruins system. Despite all of that, there's no question that Phil Kessel is a necessary evil for the Boston Bruins going forward.

That being said, Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli will undoubtedly have to unload either Marco Sturm, Chuck Kobasew or even Michael Ryder in order to keep Kessel in a Bruins uniform.

Marco Sturm, who missed much of the 2008-09 campaign with a major knee injury would seem to be the obvious choice, but with the lack of depth the left wing position and Sturm's 13 points in 19 games last year, he should be back in black and gold with an 'A' on his jersey. Michael Ryder, the Bruins biggest addition in the 2008 off-season seems unlikely as well considering that it's entirely likely that if the Bruins were to trade Ryder, the city of Boston would become a free-agent-free zone because guys wouldn't want to be traded just one year into a contract they signed. Along with that, Ryder's 27 goals on the right side are nothing to sneeze at and he simply seems to thrive off playing under the Claude Julien system.

It currently seems that the odd man out will be grinding forward Chuck Kobasew. Acquired in a trade with Calgary that also sent the Bruins defensemen Andrew Ference, Kobasew has demonstrated strong two-way play when healthy, however, his health has been an issue during his tenure in the Hub of Hockey. Kobasew has missed 30 regular season games in just a little over two years with the club, but when healthy Kobasew has become a great contributor. He's scored over 20 goals in both seasons with the Bruins and had 6 points in 11 playoff games with the Bruins.

With a cap hit of just 2.33 million dollars, Chuck Kobasew seems like the perfect fit for a club in the Western Conference looking for some secondary scoring. Teams such as Vancouver, Edmonton and even San Jose stick out as team's who could afford Kobasew's services.

With two months remaining until the Bruins take to the Garden ice for opening night against the Washington Capitals, the club is sure to make progress with Kessel and explore their options as September is sure to rapidly approach.