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Boston Bruins Feeling OK About Their Blue Line

By Andrew Thompson

Dec 2, 2015; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; The Boston Bruins celebrate a third period goal by Boston Bruins defensemen Zdeno Chara (33) at Rexall Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 2, 2015; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; The Boston Bruins celebrate a third period goal by Boston Bruins defensemen Zdeno Chara (33) at Rexall Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Boston Bruins are comfortable with their current roster of defensemen.

That’s the message that Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney told the fans today. The Boston Bruins chose to sign defensemen Joe Morrow and Colin Miller to contracts today,  With the exception of  the buyout of Dennis Seidenberg, and the free agency exit of Zach Trotman (who didn’t get enough ice time), the Black and Gold have chosen to retain the same core of blueliners as last season.

The Boston Bruins now have seven signed defensemen. Barring any last-minute surprise, this looks the defensive core for the 2016-17 season.  Fan reaction to the latest signings was mostly positive, especially in the case of Colin Miller. Many fans were hoping the AHL star would be able to achieve NHL success in Boston, and this may be his year to do it.

Colin Miller will hopefully start in Boston this year. He’s got the size and power of a younger Zdeno Chara and the skill set to be a credible force in the NHL.

Even with the relief of Colin Miller’s signing, there are several concerns moving forward this season. Zdeno Chara is slowing down. While he’s still a capable NHL defensemen, his 2011 days are far behind him.  The Bruins can’t expect him to sustain a 30 minute game night after night. That path will only lead to disaster.

Thankfully the Bruins chose to hang on to Torey Krug. The 25-year old defensemen proved to most of the Bruins fans (save the ones who believe a blueliner has to be 6’4″ and/or Canadian) that he can pick up the slack. He was second in minutes last year, and will likely be in that position again. While last seasons four goals were underwhelming, he was ranked ninth among defensemen for assists last season.

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If Torey Krug can put up 14-20 goals this season, it will go a long way to alleviate some of the tension of the Bruins fans.

The Bruins need to remind themselves how to use Kevan Miller. Kevan Miller can play a decent defensive game when he is paired against bottom six forwards. With so many injuries among the blueliners last year, the Bruins had no choice to put him against top lines and that usually didn’t end well for Miller or the Bruins. If they keep him in the proper place, he’ll be an asset in the short-term for Boston.

John-Michael Liles is an adequate top four blueliner. There isn’t anything too flashy in his game. He does his job and doesn’t make a boatload of errors.  He won’t be a liability for the Black and Gold next year.

Adam McQuaid has been trying to prove he can handle top four minutes for the last five seasons. He’s spent a healthy amount of time during those years either out of the lineup due to injuries or not at 100 percent when he’s on the ice. McQuaid is a stay at home defenseman, and the Bruins will need to drag him out to play more three-zone hockey this season.

The Boston Bruins still believe that they don’t need a major overhaul. This decision will either make or break the career of Don Sweeney in Boston. If he can get the blueline to play to their strengths and cut back on their bad mistakes, he could be right. We’ll see how right he is once the season starts in October.

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