Penner

Rookie defenseman Jeff Penner logged 9:17 of  ice time over 13 shifts Tuesday night in the Bruins’ loss at Toronto. He posted an even rating and was credited with three hits.

In playing his first NHL game, the former collegiate free agent became the seventh player in the history of the Alaska Nanooks NCAA program, according to the Nanooks’ media guide, to skate at the game’s highest level. Most recently, New York Rangers forward Aaron Voros and Chicago defenseman Jordan Hendry represented the Nanooks in the NHL.

That Penner, an undrafted player out of a little-heralded school, made the NHL in just his second full pro season is a great story. But it’s also an indictment on the Bruins’ depth in the organization on defense. All it takes is two injuries on the back end (Zdeno Chara, Andrew Ference) with the parent club and one with the farm club (Adam McQuaid) for the Bruins to call up a player they don’t trust to take a shift for the final 10:30 of regulation plus overtime (which Penner did not).

General manager Peter Chiarelli addressed his organization’s deficiency in defense depth when talking about the prospect he acquired from Florida (Matt Bartkowski) in the Dennis Seidenberg deal and the two other young blueliners (Cody Wild, Steve Kampfer) he picked up in minor deals before the deadline. Of course, Chiarelli probably should’ve thought about his team’s empty D coffers before last week and instead covered his back during the offseason. Drafting more than one defenseman (Ryan Button) the last two Junes might’ve helped, as would’ve drafting defenseman that could make it in the organization in 2007 (Denis Reul and Radim Ostrcil, two of three D drafted that year, have already been let go by the Bruins).

Last season, the Bruins had eight available experienced D heading into the playoffs. When Ference and Matt Hunwick were hurt, Shane Hnidy and Steve Montador were waiting to step in. Now Hunwick, who has taken a step back, is ensconced on D, and the likes of McQuaid and Penner are getting the call in crucial games down the stretch. That Chiarelli recognized his team’s miscalculation on the back end is great, but probably too late.