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Boston Bruins: Seidenberg’s Injury Leads To Opportunity

By Brandon Share-Cohen

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Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Bruins are going to be forced to start the 2015-16 regular season without one of their top defensemen. The Boston Bruins announced on Wednesday that veteran defenseman Dennis Seidenberg would be undergoing a lumbar microdiscectomy on Thursday. This surgery is expected to sideline Seidenberg for eight weeks and could have a large effect on the Bruin season, but could also provide another defenseman the opportunity to showcase their ability.

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    • General Manager Don Sweeney spoke with reporters, stating: “It’s definitely a setback, first and foremost, from Dennis’s standpoint,” Sweeney went on to say, “He’s worked hard. He came back from a (torn) ACL last year and has a setback, which we hope being identified fairly early in camp, trying to get some rest to let it calm down — wasn’t able to do that.” He continued by saying “So it’s definitely a setback. It’s obviously an opportunity for the other guys we were evaluating anyway amongst our D core, and we’ll go from there.” Despite having a very difficult time recovering from his 2014 surgery, Seidenberg played in all 82 games last season. His ability was certainly still affected by the lingering effects of the injury, as his on-ice effectiveness wasn’t the same as Bruins fans have gotten used to when watching Seidenberg.

    Nobody can ever take anything away from Dennis Seidenberg’s character, regardless of how poor his 2014-15 season may have been. One of the key players in the Bruins 2011 Stanley Cup run and 2013 return to the Stanley Cup, Seidenberg was as hard on himself about this injury as anyone. “You know what? He apologized,” Sweeney said. “He’s a proud guy and a team member, and he takes that to heart. So he was apologetic, and said he’ll do what he can to get back, and that’s what you appreciate in a guy who cares.”

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    Dennis Seidenberg was faced with some of the toughest competition for the Bruins in the 2014-15 season, leading all Bruins defenseman in short-handed ice time while also starting in the defensive zone more than any other Bruins defenseman. It will be a tough task for another defenseman to step into Seidenberg’s shoes, but the Bruins are deep with defensive prospects ready to make the leap to the next level.

    Two players that could be provided an opportunity with Boston to start the season are Joe Morrow and Colin Miller.

    Joe Morrow has been in the Bruins system ever since the now-infamous Tyler Seguin trade. With strong offensive-upside and puck-moving ability, Morrow could earn himself a role in Boston out of training camp. The Bruins are in need of a puck moving defenseman that can compliment Torey Krug, and it can be argued that the biggest issue Seidenberg faced last season was his ability to drive play. Morrow could slot into a top-four role and help the Bruins, who are in a transitional stage right now.

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    Similarly to the skill-set that Joe Morrow possesses, Colin Miller could be the player stepping in to replace Seidenberg. Colin Miller is a very effective puck-moving defenseman and has a right-handed shot which is a big need for the Bruins, especially with Seidenberg out of commission for two months. Miller’s slapshot clocked in at 105.5 mph during the AHL All-Star Skills competition, which was also the hardest shot in the history of the event. If that wasn’t enough, Miller is also an incredibly fast skater, winning the fastest-skater competition with a 13.805 second lap.

    Both Colin Miller and Joe Morrow are 6-foot-1, and while they possess similar abilities to Torey Krug, their size could make them invaluable moving forward.

    Follow Brandon Share-Cohen on Twitter @FansidedBrandon to discuss all things Bruins and sports


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