Boston Bruins: State of The Defensive Core

Boston Bruins: State of The Defensive Core Looks Bleak, but Better With Colin Miller and Joe Morrow Extensions

It appears that the Boston Bruins defensive core is complete after a few moves on Wednesday. The blue line will be a little bit different with Dennis Seidenberg’s contract being bought out and Zach Trotman signing with the Los Angeles Kings. The Bruins also signed Colin Miller and Joe Morrow to one-way contracts and now have seven defensemen with one-way deals. Not only did they agree with Miller and Morrow, they did so at reasonable prices. This is along the lines of what their defensive core will look like after Wednesday’s moves. The projection could still change after development camps and the preseason are both wrapped up.

Defense

Chara ($6,916,667) – C. Miller ($1,000,000)

Krug ($5,250,000) – K. Miller ($2,500,000)

Liles ($2,000,000) – McQuaid ($2,750,000)

Morrow ($800,000)

The question is, do the Bruins want seven defensemen on one-way contracts, or will they move one of them? The only ones that make sense to move right now would be Zdeno Chara or Adam McQuaid. Trading the captain of a team in transition would be quite the power move and shake up. A shake-up of such proportions could be a

Trading the captain of a team in transition would be quite the power move and shake up. A shake-up of such proportions could be a wake-up call to this team, but does not sound very likely or plausible at this point. Big Z probably doesn’t have much time left as it is, keep him and let him retire as a Bruin whenever he decides to hang the skates up. Chances are the team won’t get much for McQuaid. He isn’t very good and his contract will scare off a lot of teams. $2,750,000 is a lot of money to pay for bottom pairing defenseman.

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Zdeno Chara’s role on the blue line could change before the season begins or as it progresses. Who he will play with is a toss up at this point. Putting him on the second pairing could end up being a very wise move for his long-term stability. It’s no secret that he is slowing down and he is not always going to be able to withstand top minutes. He is still a serviceable top four defenseman, but he won’t be forever.

Colin Miller has a lot to offer to this Bruins team if he can improve his defense a little bit. Nonetheless, he is young and was juggled around between Boston and Providence last season. He will hopefully have more consistent NHL playing time from this point on. Let him gain some confidence in one role, with one group of guy as opposed to juggling him around like he was so frequently during the 2015-2016 season.

Torey Krug got paid big time this offseason, but that should not be much of a surprise. Despite tallying just four goals, he had a career-high in points (44). If he gets his goal scoring touch back, don’t be surprised to see Krug reach the 55-60+ point mark in the future. He should see plenty of top-4 minutes this year, which will hopefully help his confidence and skills grow. I for one am really excited to see what’s in store this year for Torey Krug.

Kevan Miller got paid as well this offseason, but unlike Torey Krug, the move didn’t receive very many positive reviews. The former University of Vermont Catamount has had his ups and downs and injury problems, but aside from his skating, he isn’t that bad of a bottom pairing defenseman, and he’s probably better than Adam McQuaid. We’ll see how well he handles the possibility of a top-4 role alongside Zdeno Chara or Torey Krug.