Dear Claude

Dan's right. He kinda read my mind in thinking that the BSP wasn't providing its readers with enough Boston Bruins content. Fortunately for you all, the Bruins reporting looks to be back. I'm gonna take things in a little different direction than Dan, for now, and go over what it is that the Bruins need to do before things kick off in October.

First-off, I'd like to continue praising the Bruins for using common sense this offseason. Past Bruin teams may have let Seidenberg, Boychuk, or even Shawn Thornton walk, but not the Cam Neely-run B's. They've done a good job of retaining their players, and they've done so at cap-friendly figures (with the exception of Andrew Ference, which is still a mind-boggling deal). The Bruins sort of backed themselves into a corner with the Thomas contract and Bergeron's absurd cap-hit, but they've done a very good job of not letting it hinder their offseason.

Pete Chiarelli knew going into June that he needed to upgrade the frontline. He did so by adding Nathan Horton via trade and drafting Tyler Seguin. The Bruins were starved at wing last year, so despite having great depth down the middle, they still couldn't find the back of the net. Horton is the rich man's Milan Lucic. He'll come to Beantown and be a fan favorite (provided he leaves his lazy man's attitude in the Sunshine State). Most important to his skillset is his lethal shot, which, playing next to any of the Bruins' centers, could yield 40 goals. Then you'll have to figure Claude will move either Seguin or Krejci to the wall, giving them an additional weapon on the wing.

So the offense should be much improved. But, in upgrading their scoring, Chiarelli had to part with a good puck-mover in Dennis Wideman. I know, Wideman was dreadful last year. But what a lot of people aren't realizing is that he was a potential Norris Trophy winner two years ago and he was their best player this past playoffs (with apologies to Lucic and Krejci). And this is where the Bruins need to start the "2nd phase" of their offseason. As pitiful as Wideman was at times last year, he's still a good player. So, what is the gameplan for Chiarelli? There are a few options, and some of them could be pricey. First, he's going to have to decide on the player he wants back there. Should he replace Wideman with a rare puck-mover? If he goes that avenue, he could look toward Tomas Kaberle, Joe Corvo, Marc-Andre Bergeron, or John-Michael Liles. Most of those guys, Kaberle especially, will carry a high price-tag. The other option is for the B's to add a stay-at-home defender capable of separating players from the puck in the defensive end. If that is the road traveled, maybe signing Andy Sutton would work. Maybe Chiarelli actually pulls the trigger on a Savard-trade to Calgary and brings Robyn Regehr to Boston. Either way, the Bruins prime-need has gone from offense to defense, and it needs to be addressed.

Now, if I had to predict a lineup for the Bruins to use in Prague come October, it might look like this...

Line 1: Wheeler - Savard - Horton
Line 2: Lucic - Krecji - Seguin
Line 3: Recchi - Bergeron - Ryder
Line 4: Paille - Campbell - Thornton

The Bruins could elect to let Wheeler and/or Campbell walk via free agency, but it seems like a priority to them to get both under contract. If Wheeler moves on, I think the Bruins could realistically start the season with one of their young-guns on Savard's left-side. As Dan pointed out, Jordan Caron has drawn rave-reviews at development camp and could be NHL-ready. Joe Colborne, while a center, has played wing before and offers great offensive upside.

D-1: Chara - Boychuk
D-2: Seidenberg - [Outside Hire]
D-3: Hunwick - Stuart

If the Bruins and Wheeler go to arbitration, then the Bruins will have the opportunity to buy-out one of their roster players in order to get under cap restrictions. If this happens, I have to imagine that it's Ference that gets bought out. Another scenario to move money around is to package Thomas, Savard, Wheeler, or Ryder in a deal. In that case, I'm sure they would look to bring in another defenseman via trade. Either way, the Bruins will be looking to bring in a first or second pairing blueliner to help fill the void left by Wideman.

Aside from what the have now and what they could bring in via trade or free agency, the B's have good depth in the system. Some of the young guns we could see this year:

Brad Marchand: Played a few games last year, but without any great success. Marchand could be a 20-goal scorer one day, but he might just be an Quadruple-A player, NHL style.

Zach Hamill: The 8th overall pick in 2007 has played a grand-total of one game for the B's. He played pretty well in that game, notching an assist, and has had great success in each of the two previous preseasons. The talent is there, but the opportunity isn't. Hamill is a natural center, and a playmaking one, so the need for him isn't drastic and he might never get a real shot with the B's. (Trade Bait)

Joe Colborne: He's been compared to Eric Staal, so that tells you something people's perception of his size and skill. On a talent-basis, he'd make the Bruins over guys like Ryder, Wheeler, and Paille. But with Colborne, it's a matter of NHL readiness. He will likely get a season in Providence to adapt to the pro-style game, but if the Bruins experience injuries like they did last year, then Big Joe could get his shot early on.

Jordan Caron: When they drafted him two years ago at the end of the first round, Chiarelli called him "Lucic Light." He's big, he's tough, and he's NHL ready. He won't wow people with great skill, but he could be capable of contributing right away with his net-drive.

Yuri Alexandrov: Drafted out of Russia years ago, it looked like Alexandrov would never come to play in North America, having been on a KHL team already. Fortunately for the B's, he's here. He figures to be one of those rare puck-movers down the line, but I'm not sure he has NHL size just yet, and he isn't as well refined defensively as coach Claude would like him to be.

Maxime Sauve: Another guy without "wow" skills. If they elect not to retain Campbell, it could very well be Sauve taking his place. He's a perfect fourth-line center and plays much like a smallish bowling-ball they just traded, Vlad Sobotka.