Boston Bruins Possible Fourth Liner Seth Griffith Skates
By Jay Peterson
According to NESN writer Zack Cox, “winger Seth Griffith skated after practice with strength and conditioning coach John Whitesides,” yesterday. While this is the first sign of Griffith hitting the ice since his injury on September 20th, one can’t help but wonder where Griffith will be placed once he is eligible to get back to playing the game of hockey.
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Heading into training camp and the preseason, Seth Griffith was slotted by many into the right wing spot on the fourth line, or, at the very least, the thirteenth forward on this Boston Bruins squad. An injury in the Bruins first preseason game was to keep Griffith out for around a month.
As of right now, the Boston Bruins have Chris Kelly, Zac Rinaldo and Joonas Kemppainen on the fourth line with Tyler Randell taking the thirteenth forward position. Seth Griffith is still far away from returning to any line up, but the fact that he is working with John Whitesides in Boston could be taken as a hint that management is considering keeping him up here.
Of course, this is all speculation based on limited evidence. While Seth Griffith would arguably give the fourth line more speed and offense, the current roster players have looked very good as a unit and it is likely that the coaching staff would not call on Griffith, or even Randell for that matter, unless something, or someone, began to hurt the team’s chances of success.
“We’re hungry, we’re going to be hungry all year.” – Zac Rinaldo
When Seth Griffith is fully healthy and ready to play, it would be in the best interest of the coaching staff to send Griffith to the Providence Bruins for conditioning purposes. This would give Griffith the chance to handle lots of ice time and possibly get some points under his belt. Treating it as somewhat of a Boston Bruins tryout, management would keep an eye on Griffith’s production and, when needed, make the decision to either call him up or keep him down.
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Having Seth Griffith up with the Boston Bruins would certainly make things a little more competitive amongst the fourth line players currently there. That internal competition is going to need to be a regular thing on this Bruins team if they want to remain on top of their game. “We’re hungry, we’re going to be hungry all year,” is what current fourth liner Zac Rinaldo told interviewers following yesterday’s practice. It is that hunger that Bruins management will be looking for when determining who will play and who will sit. It is yet to be determined where Seth Griffith will end up, but if he plays the way he has in the past and shows the hunger that Bruins fans and management want, his chances of making the Boston roster are decent.
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