Boston Bruins: Could They Offer Someone A Try Out
The Bruins training camp less than a month away (Tuukka Rask had stated during the Jimmy Fund Telethon that it would start September 17). A lot of people feel that the Boston Bruins may still be missing a defensemen that can not only play top-four minutes, but put up some solid secondary scoring as well. Will the Bruins be able to find someone before the start of the camp?
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If the Bruins can’t seem to find the right match before camp starts, the Black and Gold may go on a fishing expedition.
The Bruins may have to go down that path, and that means handing out a veteran tryout agreement. Sergei Gonchar and the Pittsburgh Penguins came to a temporary arraignment and it may have benefits for that club. Last season, the Bruins organization handed out two veteran tryouts before the start of the season. The Bruins invited Ville Leino and Simon Gagne last season to camp. The results were a mixed lot. Leino just couldn’t find a spot on the roster, and Gagne made the squad, only to have to leave the team when his father died.
The loss of Gagne left an open hole on the fourth line last season. (With the departure of both Daniel Paille and Gregory Campbell, there is no recognizable fourth line for Boston.) The Bruins are still facing that gap on that line. While it looks like Chris Kelly will be centering that line, it just seems like a total waste of cap space.
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It’s a safe bet that the Bruins will likely hand out at least one veteran tryout just before or at training camp next month. There are quite a few solid defensemen out there looking for a job, and losing a chance to play might certainly lower their pay expectations a bit. Cody Franson, Christian Ehrhoff, and Marek Zidlicky are still available and all three are in the remaining cap salary range of Boston. It’s a low-risk, high potential reward for the Bruins organization.