Lucic/By S. Bradley

Here’s the last mailbag installment prior to the opening of training camp. Expect another one in late September.

Pierre Bezukhov wrote: How do you see the lines and D pairings shaking out? The idea of Marc Savard, Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton together has me pretty excited!

MK: The most popular No. 1 line, by far, in an unscientific poll of my readers is the combination you mention above, Pierre. So let’s start with that as a base. To form a second line, you have to keep center Patrice Bergeron and winger Mark Recchi together. With Marco Sturm set to start the season on LTIR, that leaves an open spot on either side. Daniel Paille played there a lot last season, but Blake Wheeler finished last year in that spot. I might be apt to go with Wheeler, who hopefully in his third NHL season will be ready to add more defensive responsibility to what should be some decent offensive output. That drops Paille into his perfect spot on the fourth line alongside Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton. David Krejci might be Michael Ryder’s last hope to get going. The Bruins could hope that those two can find their ’08-09 chemistry. And Tyler Seguin using his blazing speed on the other side of that line could open up some better opportunities for Krejci and Ryder.

PCL wrote: Do you foresee any adjustment period for the defensemen with assistant coach Craig Ramsay gone to Atlanta to be head coach? I believe that Doug Houda is taking over the position behind the bench, and as he’s been the “eye in the sky” for a while, is it going to be a struggle for the D corps to get used to the difference in style since Ramsay had been there with them and the Claude Julien system from the beginning. Or is it pretty much a wash?

MK: It might take a few preseason games for Houda to get back up to speed while sending the Bruins’ D pairs onto the ice, but otherwise most of the backliners should be used to Houda. The former NHL defenseman has worked with all the guys during camp and practices, and Houda – like Ramsay – will be briefed before each game about Julien’s intentions for strategy in certain games. Remember, for close to half the game Houda’s job is just to call up Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg. Finding that second solid pair could be a tougher task, and it was one Ramsay was great at. But I wouldn’t foresee there being much of a change other than Houda’s face behind the bench instead of Ramsay’s.

Benjamin Ketchum wrote: I love the leadership role that big Joe Colborne took over the younger players during rookie camp. Is there any chance he will make the squad as a fourth-line winger? It seems like the top three lines are all filled. Does he at all fit the bill as a fourth-liner yet? When will we know for sure if he has made the roster?

MK: Considering the Bruins’ depth on all four lines, Colborne might not even make it onto a fourth line. But I wouldn’t want to see him playing that role anyway. After just two years of NCAA hockey, Colborne needs ice time going head to head with grown men and playing in all situations as a pro. That cup of coffee with Providence (AHL) last spring wasn’t enough. So unless he has a bang-up fall, I’d expect Colborne to serve as the P-Bruins’ No. 1 center until merit or injuries force the Bruins to call him up and stick him in a role where he can thrive and continue to gain experience. Should he knock everyone’s socks off in camp, however, Colborne could force general manager Peter Chiarelli to make a trade or demote someone in order to clear a roster spot.

Mike wrote: Do you think that Chiarelli is the man to get the Bruins to the next level. Is there potential for a conflict with Neely (Neely saying everything passes through his office; Chiarelli saying he has autonomy in hockey ops.) Was Neely promoted because of a lack of confidence in Chiarelli? What happened with Ray Shero? Was he the first choice as rumored and did Jeremy Jacobs tighten the purse strings causing Shero to move to Pittsburgh?

MK: The details of the Shero-Chiarelli situation are a bit fuzzy to me all these years later, but I believe Boston wanted Shero and he found Pittsburgh to be a better fit. Wouldn’t you want to go to a team built around Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin? To say Jacobs “tightened the purse strings” wouldn’t be fair because the Bruins have always spent to the cap, and now their actually payroll even exceeds the cap when you consider the up-front money Savard is getting on his new deal.

We’re going to know everything we need to know about Chiarelli this season. Always patient and loyal, Chiarelli might be tested this year when it comes to cutting loose someone like Ryder or Andrew Ference, or when it comes time to bolster his team at the trade deadline. Somehow the Bruins have avoided the Boston dog house despite the way last season ended. The additions of Horton and Seguin and the emergence of young, exciting players like Tuukka Rask and Lucic has built expectations to a high that hasn’t been seen since the lockout. Should Chiarelli’s squad not meet those goals this season, or not fit the mold of what Neely expects, the Bruins might look elsewhere for a GM.

That being said, the reason Chiarelli is still on the job with Neely now running everything is that the two men have worked together and gotten on the same page the last couple seasons. They seem to have the same vision of how the team should be built and how it should play. That trickles down the coaching staff, as well. I think Neely covets the type of stability that organizations like Detroit have enjoyed and as long as winning accompanies the current chain of command, everyone will remain in place.

Neely’s promotion is all about making sure the team has someone in that president’s role that has final say on all matters. It doesn’t hurt that Neely is one of the most beloved figures in franchise history and helps modern-day fans hark back to another strong era. Every franchise needs a face, and Neely is the face of the Bruins.

Matt wrote: I wanted to get your take on Zach Hamill. By all accounts, he was a reach when he was selected. Then he came out and played so well after an adjustment period only to endure a freak wrist injury. He seems like he has not recovered still from that injury. Is this a make or break year for him? Do you expect him to get lapped by Jordan Caron, Colborne and Max Sauve and maybe even the two new youngsters chosen after Seguin?

MK: Matt, I never liked Hamill from the day they picked him. And he just hasn’t panned out as the type of player the Bruins saw him – which is a top-six, playmaking forward. The games I have seen often feature Hamill uninvolved and ineffective.

Now it seems like the only NHL role he might be able to fill is that of a third-liner, but he doesn’t have the strength or defensive instincts to do that yet. On the one hand, it’s tough that the Bruins don’t have room for Hamill on the NHL roster. But maybe just what he needs is another full, hopefully healthy, season of AHL hockey on what should be a talented, Calder Cup contender. With Colborne and Caron around to take some attention away, Hamill might be able to find his openings and put up the numbers he was expected to when he first arrived in the pros. That said, he’s a restricted free agent after this season – so it’s a make-or-break year in terms of his pocket book. But I think we all just have to lower our expectations for Hamill, despite his status as a former first-rounder.