Column: Secure Seidenberg needs to settle in as Bruins’ No. 2
After Wednesday’s practice, he didn’t sound overly satisfied about his contract status or permanent position on Boston’s depth chart.
“I’m happy that I’ve got a little bit of security and being part of a team that’s got great history and I think has a real good chance to go far and do something in the next few years,” he said.
From last year to this, Seidenberg went from an afterthought signing to a core performer. The Bruins need him to make sure that by the time he gets to next autumn’s camp he’s continued his upward climb toward star status.
Page 2 of 2 | Previous page
You may be right. He was injured much of last year, so we shall see this year I guess.
Matt, you need to add Lucic to that list.
The Ference contract was dumb, no doubt, but he is better than Hunwick and McQuaid. I don’t think they should sacrifice wins to save that money. This isn’t a Ryder situation. Ryder is basically useless for 80% of the time. You can’t say that about Ference. Terrible contracts though. Chiarelli must stop doing that. He has done it with Wideman, Ference, Ryder, Thomas, Schaeffer…he must stop doing that for them to win the Cup in the next couple of years.
I agree with GR90- dump ference and his ridiculous contract(were they drunk when they signed that extension?) in providence
Defensive pairings I’d like to see:
Chara-boychuk
Seids-Stuart
Mcquaid-hunwick
Little bit of offense/puck moving on each line with a little bit of banging and physicality
A lot of ifs for this team.
Who knows, it could happen. It has been awhile since we have even been able to say that they could win the cup.
I have a good feeling about Seidenberg emerging as a consistent defenseman for the B’s (knock on wood)… despite injuries in the past, he’s proven that he can make a great first pass in transition, fire an accurate shot from the point into the fray, and apply fantastic pressure along the boards in his own end. Not to mention he led the league with 215 blocked shots (2.62 per game) last season. His successful 17-game stint with the B’s last year set him on pace for 10-33-43 totals in 82 games; with a slightly-revamped offense, his totals could go even higher.
Like Nathan Horton, I think Seidenberg will benefit from a whole season with Boston to help him recover from what I call “Sunshine syndrome”: an incurable sense of apathy that overwhelms talented players when they realize how devoid of talent and hockey culture Sunshine, FL is (Stephen Weiss will be the next player to develop this problem… just watch).
Seidenberg posted a +9 in Boston last season, while he posted a -3 in Florida. I’m sure playing alongside Chara helped this, but Seids really made a statement in my mind last season. I think he could anchor the 3-4 line alongside Boychuk or Stuart, and eat up a lot of ice time. As a matter of fact, I don’t think the B’s could afford to have Seids anywhere BUT the 3-4 line… leaving Boychuk, Stuart, Hunwick and Ference to man the bottom two pairings would be the ultimate disaster based on inexperience and inconsistency. I think the B’s should actually throw Ference and his 2.25mil down to Providence to start the season on a pre-emptive “rehab” stint (since he’ll be hurt within the first ten games anyway, guaranteed; no offense to him) and put McQuaid’s big body & stay-at-home strength into the mix instead to see how the kid steps up. But that’s another story.
[...] here: The Bruins Blog — Column: Secure Seidenberg needs to settle in as … Cheap Boston Bruins Tickets Click Here Save Money! Share and [...]