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.

Bruins Ink Morris To One Year Deal

The life of a General Manager. In just 24 short hours, Bruins mastermind Peter Chiarelli has arguably revamped the Boston blue-line for the better with the signing of Derek Morris.

When the Bruins traded away fan favorite Aaron Ward, the thought process among NHL fans was "Oh, this makes sense, they do need to keep Phil Kessel and they creates the cap space to do so.". However, the internet started to buzz once again when Chiarelli stated that the move was made because he "had his eye on another defensemen".

Certainly with a limited amount of cap space, the options seemed slim. Many thought the Bruins were going to gamble on the recovering Sergei Zubov, while others thought the B's were poised to steal Mathieu Schneider away from the Canadiens. It turned out 90% of people in the Hub of Hockey were wrong as the Bruins signed puck-moving defensemen Derek Morris to a one-year deal worth 3.3 million dollars.

Bye-bye Kessel. Or at least it's beginning to seem that way, isn't it? With Chiarelli confirming that he was "done for a while", the future of the man who wears 81 remains in limbo, a spot that Kessel has become accustomed to. Considering the B's currently have enough players signed to the roster to put a product on the ice for opening night and plenty of depth at the right wing (Ryder, Kobasew, Recchi, Bitz, Wheeler) it seems more likely that Kessel won't be lighting the lamp at the TD Bank Garden for the Bruins come October 1st.

In the mean time, the mystery around the signing of Derek Morris is beginning to grow. Is he the puck-mover that the Bruins have been desperately seeking? Or is he just a rental player for arguably the Bruins best chance for a Cup come 2009-10? I for one, believe that Morris is simply a rental for this upcoming season when considering the crop of players with expiring contracts.

Despite the addition of the offensive upside that Morris brings to the table, is the price tag reasonable? Then I remember, this is the first month of free agency, nothing's reasonable. Again, I for one don't believe that Derek Morris is a player worth 3.3 million dollars considering the woeful season he had in the desert in Phoenix. Although his struggles were mighty with the 'Yotes, the 30-year-old seemed to regain his offensive spark when he was dealt to the New York Rangers.

When the season concluded, Morris finished with just 20 points and a -10 between Arizona and the Blueshirts. Undoubtedly, Morris' bright spot came with the Rangers, as he put up 8 points in 18 games.

This tenure with the Rangers was Morris' first trip playing for an Eastern Conference team and with the Edmonton-native slated to play along side Norris Trophy winner Zdeno Chara, it's entirely possible that Bruins fans and the rest of the Eastern Conference can see the revitalization of a player once thought to be dead in the desert.

Free Agent Frenzy: 10 Best Defensemen

Continuing on the "Free Agent Frenzy" pieces, we have the ten best defensemen available come July 1st. In what is rapidly becoming an aging position, the market for defensemen is sure to be big for teams looking to add that big physical presence or that puck-moving defensemen to put their club over the edge for the Stanley Cup.

10) Mathieu Schneider - What a year it's been for the 40 year old defensemen. Schneider's season began in Anaheim, but not for long as he was sent to Atlanta before the season began in a cap-crunching move. In Atlanta, Schneider was relied upon to become a pivotal role player on the Thrashers powerplay. However, the Schneider experiment failed as in 44 games the blue-liner had just 4 points on the Thrashers powerplay and was traded to Montreal days before the trading deadline. In Montreal, Schneider provided a spark to the revitalized Canadiens powerplay with 14 out of his 17 points coming on the powerplay. By season's end, Schneider was battling shoulder injuries and was useless in the Habs 4 game sweep out of the playoffs by the Boston Bruins. Even at 40, Schneider can provide a great veteran presence on a blue-line and is still a very capable weapon for any team's powerplay. His pay day will undoubtedly not be nearly as lucrative as his current 5.6 million dollar salary.

9) Niclas Havelid - Along with Schneider, Niclas Havelid found himself to be exiting Atlanta during the week of the NHL Trade Deadline. The 36 year old's 190 blocked shots put him among the Devils/Thrashers leader and with 37 takeaways he's still a very valuable defensive minded defensemen. With a 2.7 million dollar cap hit, Havelid's future with the Devils is uncertain. The Devils already have their hands full trying to hold on to goaltender Scott Clemmensen, defensive forward John Madden, defensemen Johnny Oduya and speedy winger Brian Gionta so it's entirely possible that Niclas Havelid could be seeking a new home come July.

8) Johnny Oduya - Along with Havelid, 27 year old defensemen Johnny Oduya is another Devil without a contract. In just his 3rd full NHL season, all with the Devils, Oduya is certainly developing a name for himself as a clutch defensmen. 3 of his 7 goals in the 2008-09 campaign came in the final five minutes of the game and 8 of his 22 assists came with under five minutes left in play. After two straight seasons with a +/- over 20 and when you factor in his youth Oduya is certainly a player who can fly under the radar in Newark. His current cap hit of 600,000 is nothing and will certainly get a nice pay raise, likely double his current salary whether it be from the Devils or perhaps the Calgary Flames to re-join coach Brent Sutter as the Flames are in the market for a lower tier defensemen this off-season.

7) Derek Morris - It can be said that 2008-09 was somewhat of a underachieving year for Edmonton native and 'Yotes/Rangers defensemen Derek Morris. The 30 year old's play in the desert took a hit as he struggled to post solid numbers under coach Wayne Gretzky and found himself traded to the Big Apple in a deadline deal. His decrease in powerplay points will surely hurt 1996's 13th overall draft pick in this year's market. Although Morris' numbers picked up in New York with the Rangers, how could a team be sold that Morris wouldn't throw in the proverbial towel if he signs with a team that ends up being a non-contender as he displayed in Phoenix? Morris will surely find a team to sign with and probably with ease, but I for one am doubting the notion that any team is going to offer him more than the 3.9 million dollars a year salary he currently makes or even as much.

6) Francois Beauchemin - Chances are if F.B had played in more than 20 games this year for the Anaheim Ducks he'd be higher on this list. However, due to a torn ACL Beauchemin missed the final 62 games of the Ducks regular season before returning to the line-up for Anaheim's push towards their second Stanley Cup in 3 years. In Francois' 20 regular season games, he scored 4 goals, including 2 game winning goals and tallied 1 assist. In 13 post-season games for Anaheim, Beauchemin registered 31 hits and finished with a +1, showing potential suitors that his physical game was still there even after the surgery. In all likelihood, the team that can sign Francois Beauchemin to a contract this off-season will be making one of the better choices in the sure to be wild free agency market.

5) Scott Niedermayer - The only reason he's lower on this list is because he's pretty much a lock to return to the Anaheim Ducks. How much does the captain still have left in the tank? The soon to be 36 year old blue-liner still has his scoring touch, registering 59 points in 82 games with the Ducks. With Pronger now a member of the Flyers, the load on Scott's back may have just gotten a little bit heavier.

4) Mattias Ohlund - Vancouver's alternate captain and all-time scoring leader among defensemen Mattias Ohlund is set for a new contract. The 32 year old Swede is coming off yet another strong season for the Canucks where he led the Vancouver blue-line to their second divisional title since 2006-07. Ohlund's +14 was second to Willie Mitchell (+29) for the lead on the Canucks point. Ohlund was still a premiere force on the defensive aspect of the Canucks game as he blocked over 150 shots and led the Canucks in shifts and shifts per game. There's no denying that Ohlund's services are greatly taken on any team and with the Canucks having their plate full with re-signing the Sedins, extending Luongo and looking to make a splash in the free agent market it's possible that the 2006 Olympic gold medalist will be moving to another city.

3) Rob Blake - Will age ever catch up to Rob Blake? It doesn't appear to be, for the time being. The 39 year old former King, Avalanche and now Shark had his best season since 2005-06 as he and Dan Boyle became one of the best defensive pairings in the National Hockey League. Blake's +15 was the best among Sharks defensemen and his 45 points were second only to Dan Boyle. With age, the concerns about endurance become a big issue with teams interested in the services of the 18 year NHL veteran. However, Blake's 26.8 shifts a game average and 21+ minutes of time on ice per game give teams reason to not be concerned.

2) Michael Komisarek - Loathed by Boston, loved by Montreal and an undeserving All-Star. Just a few terms and situations that can be used to describe 6'4 Habs defensemen Michael Komisarek. Whether you love his style of play or not (personally, I hate it. Eye-gouging and turtling have never been huge in my book.) fact remains that he's one of the best stay-at-home defensemen in the NHL. The rumored asking price for Komi has become one of the better laughs in the NHL as Komisarek's agent reportedly wants a 5 year contract worth atleast 35 million dollars in total. One issue for potential suitors of the 27 year old bruiser is his lack of showing up in the Canadiens first round series against the Boston Bruins, where his poor attitude was shown as he found himself ejected from Game 4 following a cowardly attack on Milan Lucic from behind after losing a fight against his arch-rival. If the Habs chose to move on from Komisarek and attempt to sign Bouwmeester, Beauchemin or Ohlund I'd expect to see Komisarek dawn the blue, orange and white and sign with the New York Islanders.

1) Jay Bouwmeester - Undoubtedly the biggest prize of the deadline and now the off-season in the market of defensemen is Florida Panthers 6'4 blue-liner Jay Bouwmeester. Following another 40+ point season in Sunrise, Florida it appears Jay-Bo is ready for his big pay day. His 20 powerplay points and upside certainly put the 25 year old at the top of every NHL GM's July 1st wish list. Despite the upside, Bouwmeester's 'disappearance' during the Panthers push to making the playoffs could be a turn-off to some teams who could view this as a sign that perhaps Jay couldn't handle the pressure and intensity of a hockey town or the playoffs. No matter how badly he performed for the last month of the season when looking at his -9 after the trading deadline, Bo's undoubtedly getting his big payday from some team out there.

Eastern Conference Deadline Deal Reviews

Alright, this is seriously pretty lame. I'm going through grand withdrawals without any hockey involving the Bruins since Sunday. The good news is that this gave me a chance to review some of how the deadline deals are working out for the teams that were busy on March 4th. I think it's fair to say we start locally within the Northeast Division and stay in the Eastern Conference.

The Northeast Division

The Mark Recchi Deal

- This is the definition of a rental. The 41 year old veteran is on what many consider his final run for another championship. In 9 games with Boston he's produced 6 points (4 goals 2 assists) and is proving to be a viable weapon for the Bruins 3rd line with Kobasew and Bergeron. In Tampa, Matt Lashoff is experiencing success in just a few games with the Lightning. He's registered 4 assists in 5 games. The other P-Bruin the Bolts acquired in the deal Martins Karsums hasn't found the same success Lashoff has, registering only 2 points in 10 games.

The Montador Deal

- Steve Montador's biggest battle since being the Bruins has been the flu. He's found himself watching the game from the Press Box as of late due to Matt Hunwick's recent hot streak. In Montador's 5 games with the Bruins he has just 1 assist and a +1, which really isn't a knock to a guy who had 20 points in 65 games. Meanwhile, Petteri Nokelainen has been stellar for the Anaheim Ducks, scoring 3 goals in 9 games with the Ducks and a +3.

The Tellqvist Deal

- When Ryan Miller went down, it's safe to say the Buffalo Sabres post season hopes did as well. In the absence of Miller, the team needed another goalie to plug in. They did so by acquiring Mikael Tellqvist from the Phoenix Coyotes for a 4th round draft pick. Tellqvist has gone 1-1-0 for the Sabres with a 3.18 GAA. He'll probably be placed on waivers as Ryan Miller is returning very soon and veteran Jocelyn Thibault being a more suitable back-up.

The Moore Deal

- On March 4th, the Maple Leafs traded Dominic Moore to Buffalo for a 2nd round draft pick. Moore, an Ontario native was having a career year with the Leafs, scoring 41 (12G 29A) points in 63 games. However, Moore has struggled fitting into the Sabres offense in a lesser role, scoring in just 2 of his 9 games with the Sabres.

The Leclaire Deal

- The Ottawa Senators goaltending woes have seemingly just grown larger and larger. First, hot head Ray Emery jets off to Russia to essentially fight trainers over the off-season. Then Martin Gerber falls apart and ends up in Binghamton. Alex Auld, the NHL's journeyman who continues to put up solid numbers begins to shine for the Sens, then gets apparently over-worked too early and collapses. Leaving Brian Elliot to man the ship. The Senators addressed their goaltending future by trading Antoine Vermette for Blue Jackets goalie Pascal Leclaire. Leclaire's ankle surgery forced him to be shelfed for the rest of the season, but the 26 year old netminder posted solid numbers in 2007-08 for the Jackets, recording 9 shutouts and a 24-17-6 record.

The Gerber Waiver Deal

- The Switzerland native goaltender was a mainstay in between the Senator pipes, that was until he found himself on waivers and in Binghamton of the AHL. That was until the Maple Leafs claimed Gerber off re-entry waivers. Since then he's posting a 4-3-0 record with a 2.89 GAA. Gerber's currently serving a 3 game suspension for shoving a referee.

The Atlantic Division

The Havelid Deal

- This wasn't technically a deadline day deal, but it's a deal nevertheless. I thought this was one of the biggest steals of the Deadline Week, as the Devils gave up just Anssi Salmela for the 35 year old Havelid. Salmela has done well with the Thrashers, registering 3 points in just 7 games with Atlanta, the same amount he scored in 17 games with New Jersey.

The Antropov Deal

- On March 4th, there was perhaps no bigger winner in the Eastern Conference than the New York Rangers. Their biggest splash was landing Toronto Maple Leafs 6'6 forward Nik Antropov. Antropov has proved to be no slouch for the Blueshirts, scoring 5 goals and earning 4 assists in his 11 games as a Ranger.

The Morris Deal

- During the Coyotes fire-sale, Derek Morris' name was thrown around in almost every proposed deal. Once again, the Rangers landed a big name on the market. The price for Morris however, was very high as the Rangers gave up Dmitri Kalinin, Petr Prucha and Nigel Dawes. In 11 games with the Coyotes Petr Prucha has scored 1 goal and has 5 assists while Kalinin has posted 4 points in 11 games and Dawes has produced 2 points in 9 games. Meanwhile, in the city that never sleeps Morris' has registered 4 points in 11 games with a +3.

The Guerin Deal

- Billy Guerin, one of the NHL's few remaining pre-lockout power forwards. When the Penguins acquired him it was official, the Pittsburgh Penguins were a team that will return to being a dangerous offensive minded team. The Penguins only lost a conditional draft pick and Guerin has been simply on fire for the Pens. He's scored 3 goals and has 10 points in 10 games for the Penguins and since his acquisition the Penguins are 7-1-2.

The Carcillo Deal

- Just what the Flyers needed right? Another goon capable of killing someone out on the ice. They got just that in their trade for Phoenix LW Daniel Carcillo. The Flyers lost more than they gained in this trade if you ask me as they traded Scottie Upshall and a 2nd round pick for Carcillo. Since becoming a Flyer, Carcillo has registered 46 PIM in 11 games.

The Southeast Division

The Cole Deal

- I think it's safe to make it fact: Erik Cole can only do good when he's in a Hurricanes jersey. The 'Canes made this deal happen by trading Justin Williams to Los Angeles for Patrick O'Sullivan. O'Sullivan was then traded to Edmonton for Cole. Cole struggled for the Edmonton Oilers this year, but seems to have found his game with the Hurricanes, scoring 10 points in 11 games for Paul Maurice's 'Canes.

The Eminger Deal

- Rarely is a significant deal made within a division. This is still true. The Panthers went out and tried bolstering their playoff chances with a trade for Lightning defensemen Steve Eminger. Eminger has done literally nothing in a Panthers uniform as he's point-less in 8 games with a -1. The Lightning received Noah Welch and a 3rd round draft pick in return and Welch has done even less than Eminger has in his 9 games with the Bolts.