Boston Bruins: Tough Choices For the Blueline
The official un-offical start to the Boston Bruins 2015-16 season began as fifty-nine players took to the ice. These players will be battling hard to find themselves a spot on either the NHL’s Boston Bruins, or their AHL Providence affiliate. While the competition to become a Boston forward will be tough, it will be even tougher for a young player to earn a spot on the B’s blueline.
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Those young players aren’t totally fighting an uphill battle. If the Bruins have a repeat of last season, then jobs will become available. When the Boston Bruins reported yesterday that Dennis Seidenberg was day-to-day, there was a collective groan among the fans. Bruised blueliners were one of the biggest reasons why the team didn’t make the playoffs last season.The organization doesn’t think it’s serious, and they’re confident that Seidenberg will be ready for opening night next month.
The Boston Bruins have seven defensemen on one-way contracts in Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg, Zach Trotman, Torey Krug, Adam McQuaid, Kevan Miller, and Matt Irwin. The B’s also have two viable candidates in Joe Morrow and Colin Miller. Nine players fighting for seven spots on the roster. This will be one of the tougher competitions for a blueliner job in recent memory.
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Zach Trotman looks ready to go this year. He surprised more than a few people by winning the annual push up competition, and establishing a new record with 41. He was Zdeno Chara’s partner at the end of the season, and he appears to be one of those players that will make the cut for opening night. He has the right combination of strength, agility, and most importantly the right sense of teamwork.
Trotman, like last years’ call-ups David Pastrnak and Ryan Spooner almost helped the B’s stave off disaster last season.
“I just want to battle,” Trotman said to the media. “I want to play hard hockey. I want to play for the guy sitting next to me, really try and jell with the rest of the team and make it feel like we’re one group working together here. Just have some emotion out there, really compete is my biggest focus.”
That focus will be on display as Trotman and the other potential prospects will be squaring off against the New Jersey Devils this Sunday in Providence. The Bruins will have some tough decisions to make when it comes to filling out the roster on the blueline, but hopefully a solid performance by Trotman will make the decision a little easier.