Boston Bruins: Moving Forward Without Dennis Seidenberg
Yesterday, the Boston Bruins announced that Dennis Seidenberg would need to have back surgery. He’s expected to be out of the lineup for at least the next eight weeks. While this looks like a serious setback for the Bruins, the team knows they’ve got to pick up and move on. Still, they’re disappointed on not having their veteran blueliner available for opening night next month.
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“It’s unfortunate for him,” said Adam McQuaid on Seidenberg’s injury. “I know he worked really hard all summer to come into camp. He looked great, and unfortunately had a setback. But again, I mean, we’ve been talking a lot about our depth on the blueline this year, so [there] will be opportunities for other guys, and Seids will heal up and be back when he’s ready.
“Until then, we move forward.”
Moving forward means the recently signed defensemen now have a chance to earn a position on the team. Matt Irwin was initially tapped to be a potential top four defenseman when they signed him in the offseason. With Seidenberg out for the next two months (or longer), Irwin (with his two goals in the Bruins’ first preseason game) looks like the best possible candidate to move up to the top six for the Bruins defensemen.
Seidenberg has been a veteran presence for the team since he came over in 2010. Seidenberg helped the B’s win the Stanley Cup in 2011, and was crucial to the B’s in their Cup run in 2013.
“It’s never good news when one of your teammates and one of our steady defenseman is going to be out for a period of time,” said Bruins captain Zdeno Chara. “We’re all wishing him a fast and healthy recovery. These things do happen, and it was kind of from one day to another. One day we find out he has these issues, and then all of a sudden two weeks later he’s going out for surgery.
“It’s a chance for other guys to really step up. We have some guys that have already been playing in the league for a number of years, so we need to make sure we stay on top of things, communicate and do whatever we can to support each other.”
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“We have a lot of players at this camp that can step up and play valuable minutes for this team and become big parts of it, so it’s about making sure we take advantage of that opportunity,” said Torey Krug. Krug found himself on the Bruins roster due to injuries to the team two years ago. He used that opportunity to great effect, scoring four goals in the series against the New York Rangers. That effort got him in the door, and it led to him having a full-time slot on the roster.
“Now, there’s that time for guys to go out and earn the opportunity,” Krug said. “Nobody will be sitting back and scratching their head and wondering why [he] didn’t get that chance. So to have that competition for each of us to push each other and just make each other better overall will definitely be huge.
“I think for the young guys, just realize to always be prepared and be willing to accept an opportunity, but to not just take it — to absolutely go out there and earn it and work through it and make sure you take advantage of it.”