Boston Bruins Release Christian Ehrhoff From PTO

Boston Bruins Release Christian Ehrhoff From PTO After Defenseman Fails to Earn Guaranteed Role in Top-Six

Typically, players get released from Professional Tryout Offers (PTOs) due to teams not seeing a fit between the player and the club. With Christian Ehrhoff, however, the Boston Bruins actually intended on extending a contract offer. It’s not often that a player decides to leave from a PTO without a contract, but that was the case this time around.

Despite the Bruins lacking blueline, Ehrhoff was ultimately destined for a seventh defenseman role within the organization. For the 34-year-old Ehrhoff, that simply wasn’t an option; not at this point in his career.

Ehrhoff did look solid with Boston this preseason, but his efforts were ultimately for not. It should be noted that if Ehrhoff could not crack the Bruins’ top-six defensemen, then it was unlikely he would have been able to do so anywhere. The Bruins have one of the weakest bluelines in the entire NHL; a well-documented fact.

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In the preseason, Ehrhoff showed signs of excellence, as well as signs of his age taking a toll on him. While at times, he stood out and made brilliant defensive plays and offensive contributions, he also looked a few steps behind at times. This isn’t uncommon for older defensemen, as the Bruins can attest to with Zdeno Chara, and until recently, Dennis Seidenberg patrolling the blueline within the top-four.

The Bruins would have liked to have signed Ehrhoff, if not for anything else, as an insurance measure. As it stands, both Adam McQuaid and Kevan Miller are dealing with ailments that could keep them out to start the season. This is nothing new for the Bruins as McQuaid has dealt with injuries throughout his career. Still, it certainly alters their plans heading into the regular season.

Who Steps Up?

Brandon Carlo, the standout 19-year-old, could see time with the big club to start the year now. While it’s widely believed that he’s NHL ready, there’s also a lot of discussion about experience being an issue. Some time spent in the AHL could do him, and the Bruins well. For now, however, Carlo has impressed enough to probably earn himself a role in relief of McQuaid and Miller.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, John-Michael Liles also figures to get into the lineup to start the year. Despite being 35-years-old, Liles was a bright spot on the Bruins blueline last year. While he’ll likely play more of an extra-defender role this year, he’s a valuable part of the Bruins blueline for situations such as this one.

Next: Finalizing Bruins Blueline

While Ehrhoff isn’t going to be a Boston Bruin, the team still appears to have some fallback options. While the situation is vastly different for Liles and Carlo, the expectations are the same; help the team win games.