Boston Bruins: Predicting Defensive Pairings.
The Boston Bruins have made a lot of moves in the offseason. They have tried to fill in all the gaps left by players who were traded, let go, or lost in free agency. While the Bruins have more or less covered the holes they had with the forwards, a lot of fans think there are still glaring gaps in the defensive zone.
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The Bruins did try to address this issue. They brought in Matt Irwin from San Jose and AHL prospect Colin Miller from the Los Angeles Kings organization. Irwin has put up nineteen point seasons for the last two years, and is fully capable of giving the Bruins between twenty and thirty points next season. Colin Miller has a lot of potential, and could be a valuable asset this year or next.
So how will the Bruins break down their defensive pairs going into the preseason games? (This is assuming that the Bruins don’t figure out a way to land Cody Franson.) Coach Claude Julien has a gift for mixing up lines to spark success, and these may be some of the lines he tries out as he gets the B’s ready for the start of the 2015-16 season.
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Zdeno Chara – Matt Irwin
Chara will need a reliable person to work with in the first few games of the season. The Bruins options are limited, and while Zach Trotman did well with Chara, he may not be ready for full-time, top-line duties. Matt Irwin has put up some solid numbers with Dan Boyle over in San Jose. While that’s no guarantee for success, he is capable of doing the work needed(barring injuries to either player).
Dennis Seidenberg– Colin Miller/Kevan Miller
Dennis Seidenberg was clearly not at one hundred percent last season. Hopefully, the extra downtime gave Seids the time to be fully ready for the upcoming season. Kevan Miller also had a bad season when it came to injuries. If Miller is healthy, he’ll bring snarl and a good set of hands to the blueline.
Colin Miller has the potential to be a top-four defenseman. It’s why Don Sweeney chose to take him. Colin Miller would be the filler player if either Seidenberg or Kevan Miller would be unable to start the season. He could also be a solid replacement player if anyone gets hurt/benched. He may even surprise us in training camp and take someone’s job away from them.
Torey Krug took a one-year contract to prove to Claude Julien that he was ready to be a top-four defenseman. While I suspect Claude Julien will eventually test that theory, he will be more concerned with the newer players in the preseason. Krug is our best puck-handling defenseman, and it makes sense for Julien to keep Krug rested for work on special teams(something he excels at). That’s why he’s hanging around the bottom pair.
Adam McQuaid knows his job. With the inclusion of Zac Rinaldo to the lineup, McQuaid can focus a little more on blueline duties and less on being the team enforcer. The less fighting McQuaid does, the better his chances of staying healthy as long as possible.
Zach Trotman will likely be rotated through the lines during the preseason. Julien knows he’s developing nicely, and he may be ready for full-time NHL duties next season. With bringing on a few blueliners(and not moving anyone), Trotman may likely start the season in Providence.
The Boston Bruins want to purge the memory of last season from their minds and the minds of the fans. The B’s will need the right combination of skill, speed, and snarl to get that done. The Boston Bruins believe they’ve done an acceptable job at finding the right pieces. We’ll find out if Sweeney was right come mid-September.