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Boston Bruins: Finalizing The Blue Line

By Andrew Thompson

Sep 20, 2015; Providence,RI, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon carlo (73) checks New Jersey Devils left wing Tuomo Ruutu (15) against the boards during the first period at the Dunkin Donuts Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 20, 2015; Providence,RI, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon carlo (73) checks New Jersey Devils left wing Tuomo Ruutu (15) against the boards during the first period at the Dunkin Donuts Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Boston Bruins are a week away from opening night and they’ve still got to trim the roster down for it.

The Boston Bruins start the 2016-17 season in six days. The Bruins front office knows they’re going to have to trim down the roster, especially on the blueline. The Bruins currently have twelve defensemen on their roster and that number will be cut in half in the next few days.

So, who makes the cut?

Adam McQuaid and Kevan Miller (who have taken an awful lot of lumps from the fans and the media over their recent contracts) are currently listed as day-to-day and may not be ready for opening night. McQuaid has an unspecific middle body injury and Miller took a puck to the knee during the B’s loss to the Canadiens on Tuesday.

While they’re both battling their current injuries, Claude Julien is still considering them for opening night.

“He’s still day-to-day. It’s the same as what we said with Kevan Miller, and he was back on the ice [practicing]. He’s improving,” said Julien of Miller according to Comcast New England. “I don’t think the injuries matter right now. It’s about making the decisions that we have to make according to what we’re looking for. I know there’s only one game left, and there’s no doubt we’re getting closer to our team. But we’re still evaluating what we want to evaluate.”

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So who will be on the blueline on opening night? Zdeno Chara is in, as is Torey Krug, and John-Michael Liles. If Kevan Miller and Adam McQuaid are still listed as injured, this opens up the field.

Joe Morrow could be headed for the waiver wire. Morrow wasn’t part of any of the defensive pairs practicing this morning in Brighton. It could have been a matter of taking a personal day or the B’s giving his slot to veteran Christian Ehrhoff to continue practicing with the team. Still, Morrow may not have impressed the front office enough to break through this year.

Chris Casto, Tommy Cross, Alex Grant, and Rob O’ Gara are likely headed to Providence camp in the next few days. There has been a blueline log jam these last few seasons. While none of them have been terrible in the preseason, none of them really jumped out and stole a job from a current defenseman.

Christian Ehrhoff wasn’t terrible during his PTO. But with so many defensemen that are looking like they can be NHL-ready, it doesn’t make much sense to buyout a mid 30s German blueliner (Dennis Seidenberg) only to hire another one.

It’s looking more and more like Brandon Carlo and Colin Miller have won the Boston blueline sweepstakes. The Bruins organization have kept close tabs on the pair last season and have been pleased with their progression.

Colin Miller is a strong, impressive young player who looks ready for a full-time job in Boston this year. His game has improved while in Providence last season.

“I got some really good reports [on Carlo] when he went to Providence last year,” said Julien. “The things that make a defenseman successful in this league that you don’t always have when you come into the league: good stick, good positioning and he moves well. But at the same time does his experience, or lack of it, catch up to him? We still don’t have the full answer on that, but we want to have a good look to see where we stand.

“I thought he was really good [Thursday in Columbus]. He was solid and I really liked his game. His still here and we’ve got a lot of D’s still here as you saw this morning. We have eight [defensemen] for the purpose of practice, and we still have some in the second [practice] group. But of that eight, we have to pick six for [the preseason finale] and take a look at that situation.”

If Carlo and Colin Miller make the team, that certainly opens up opportunities for the Bruins. They may decided to take one of the veteran players and use them as part of a trade deal.

Next: Boston Bruins Win Again In Preseason

If Kevan Miller and McQuaid are healthy on opening night, then it’s likely they’ll both end up in Providence. While that would be a shame in the short term, they wouldn’t be with the baby B’s for very long.

The Boston Bruins fans have lamented the lack of a quality top-four defenseman this offseason. They may be in store for a positive surprise next week.

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