At the Midpoint of the 2016-17 Season, Here are the Top-Five Boston Bruins Defensemen
The defense of the Boston Bruins has been under scrutiny for years. While the team once boasted one of the strongest defensive groups in the entire league, that all changed seemingly out of nowhere due to various circumstances. Age finally caught up to Zdeno Chara, who is still a very good defenseman, but simply can’t log the minutes as effectively as he once did as a phenomenal shutdown defender. Former-Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg ran into injury trouble that fast-forwarded his aging as well. Johnny Boychuk and Dougie Hamilton were traded, and in the end, the Bruins never really brought anybody in to replace any of these players.
There are a multitude of young defensive prospects currently developing for Boston. The future looks bright with the likes of Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, Jakub Zboril, Jeremy Lauzon, and Colin Miller seeming like the future of defense in Boston. Still, that doesn’t help now as the only players currently on the Bruins roster are Carlo and Miller – the latter of whom hasn’t been given consistent playing time at the NHL to this point in his career.
The defense of the Bruins hasn’t looked horrible this season, but it’s a far-cry from a Stanley Cup contending group. Without further delay, here are the top-five Bruins’ defensemen at the midpoint of the 2016-17 NHL season.