With the cuts that the Boston Bruins made on Sunday, they are now left with 36 players hoping to make the opening night roster. Although the Bruins can only have 23 players on their roster once the season starts, injuries to Seth Griffith, Dennis Seidenberg and Zdeno Chara have opened up spots for even more hopefuls to stick around.
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The forwards that are still skating with the big club are Matt Beleskey, Patrice Bergeron, Anton Blidh, Brett Connolly, Austin Czarnik, Loui Eriksson, Brian Ferlin, *Seth Griffith, Jimmy Hayes, Chris Kelly, Joonas Kemppainen, Alexander Khokhlachev, David Krejci, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Zach Phillips, Tyler Randel, Zac Rinaldo, Ryan Spooner, Max Talbot and Frank Vatrano.
The defensemen that are still in attendance are Linus Arnesson, Chris Casto, *Zdeno Chara, Tommy Cross, Matt Irwin, Torey Krug, Adam McQuaid, Colin Miller, Kevan Miller, Joe Morrow, *Dennis Seidenberg and Zach Trotman. The three remaining goaltenders are Jonas Gustavsson, Tuukka Rask and Jeremy Smith.
Sep 22, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Frank Vatrano (72) prepares to shoot on goal during the third period against the Washington Capitals at TD Garden. The Boston Bruins won 2-1 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
While most of the players listed are obvious to make the team, there are some players who are still in camp simply because they have earned it. Anton Blidh, Austin Czarnik, Tyler Randel and Frank Vatrano have all looked very comfortable in Bruins jerseys and have played a huge part in keeping the Boston Bruins undefeated during this year’s preseason.
Alexander Khokhlachev is still around as well, and rightfully so, due to his strong play. However, with the recent impatient comments he has made about wanting to play in the NHL, it will be interesting to see how long Claude Julien plans to keep him from returning to Providence.
It will also be fun to watch how long Julien keeps up the remaining defenseman. With Chara listed as day to day and likely to not play in anymore preseason games, it would be wise for Julien to keep as many defensemen up as possible. Linus Arnesson, Chris Casto, Tommy Cross, Colin Miller and Joe Morrow are all on the outside looking as far as a roster spot is concerned, but someone is going to have to step up and take the extra spot on defense.
Puck Prose
Then we shift to the goaltenders. Jonas Gustavsson has looked good so far, but him making the Bruins team isn’t just about his ability to perform. There will come a time when the Bruins and Gustavsson will need to go through contract negotiations. If either side cannot agree with the terms that the other side is aiming for, a deal will not get done and Gustavsson will have to take his business elsewhere. It would be in the Boston Bruins best interest to sign Gustavsson to a one year deal for no more than a million dollars. It has yet to be revealed if Gustavsson would be content with such an offer.
There are still so many questions to have answered as preseason continues along. Not only does Julien and company have to decide who makes the team, but they also need to determine who will play together, both for even strength and on the special teams. There is a lot to consider when cutting players from a team and the next set of cuts is going to be a very impactful one for this Bruins team.
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