Boston Bruins: B’s call up Zach Trotman, Joe Morrow

Sep 24, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman

(62) passes the puck during the second period against the Washington Capitals at TD Banknorth Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Bruins (4-5-0) will be taking on the Toronto Maple Leafs(3-3-1) in the Air Canada Centre tomorrow night. As everyone in the hockey world knows by now, Bruins captain Zdeno Chara will be out for the next four to six weeks with a minor PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) tear in his left knee. Thankfully, Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli announced that surgery was not necessary at this time.

Zdeno Chara has been a rock for the Bruins, having missed only twenty one games over the last eight seasons. (The B’s have gone 8-8-5 in games without Chara on the ice.) It’s good to know we’ll have our captain back soon. In the short term though, the Bruins will be down two of their starting blueliners until December. Kevan Miller is listed as ‘progressing’ by Chiarelli, but there in no immediate time table for his return.

The Boston Bruins called up Joe Morrow and Zach Trotman to handle things for the B’s in the short term.

Trotman is a big (6’3″ ,220lb) presence that skates like a much smaller guy. He’s a right hand shot that will do well on the bottom pair. He’s got some AHL experience with being the defenseman on the power play (scoring three goals with the man advantage last year for Providence), so he’s a solid choice to fill in for Miller.

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Morrow is the last of the players acquired from the Dallas Stars in the Tyler Seguin trade. He was also a first round draft pick from 2011. The Bruins picked Dougie Hamilton ninth, and the Pittsburgh Penguins grabbed Morrow with the twenty third pick. Morrow is also a defense player that can work on the power play. He’s got a heavy left handed shot, and is good sized player (6’1″, 200lb) in his own right.

They’re both young, so they’ll be on a very rough learning curve adapting to a NHL level game. They’ve got the skills set to hang in there with other NHL players, and one (or both) of them could find themselves earning a Kevan Miller type contract if they can impress the Bruins front office.

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Puck Prose

“Well they’re both strong kids. They’re both good skaters. They both can find seems, can find lanes. Joe’s been a consistent performer down there. Zach Trotman just lately has been picking up his game. So they’re both strong kids that can skate.”-Peter Chiarelli on Joe Morrow and Zach Trotman’s game

So, how will the Bruins pair up their blueliners going into tomorrow’s game against Toronto and beyond? Here’s a reasonable guess based on time players have played together, and what pairings make the most amount of sense.

Dennis Seidenberg-Dougie Hamilton
Torey Krug–Adam McQuaid
Matt Bartkowski-Zach Trotman/Joe Morrow

(Bartkowski’s had a rough start to the season, he’s a -3 and still is making costly mental errors at bad times for the Bruins. It’s highly unlikely, but Claude Julien could bench Bartkowski if Trotman and Morrow can play NHL level hockey right out of the gates.)

The Bruins will survive this rough patch. They’ve got a Jack Adams coach in Claude Julien, and last year’s Vezina and Selke winners in Tuukka Rask and Patrice Bergeron. David Krejci has returned to his old form, and Milan Lucic is returning to speed. Now, it’s just a matter of the team playing to their strengths. It means the forwards will need to start putting a little more Bergeron into their games. If the B’s can win half of their games going into December, then the B’s will have dodged a very serious bullet.