Column: Chara, defense depth to be tested more without Boychuk
While if pressed to guess before the season you might’ve picked another more likely candidate or two than Boychuk to go down, you knew that at some point Boston’s back-end depth was going to be tested by injury. This is where organizations get exposed if the depth they’ve banked on in the abstract can’t come through in the reality.The solution cannot be as simple as asking Chara to do even more, or by spring the Bruins’ star might be a shadow of his Norris-worthy self.
I, for one, have questioned if the Bruins have enough options on defense to maintain a championship-caliber level of play over the course of a full NHL season since camp opened. Now we’ll find out if this team is really built to stay afloat without a key member of its defense corps for the short and long term.
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Agree with Digger, outside of Chara and Boychuk, the other d-men seem to reverse the puck with d-d passes rather than out of the zone to the wingers. Looks alot like last year.
Stuart, Seiden, Hunwick, and Ference all look a little slow in their decision making. They don’t respond well to an agressive forecheck. They will all need to pick up their game a bit.
Mark, Wideman isn’t a good defenseman. They don’t miss him. All of the defenseman on Providence’s roster are better.
agree on concerns, but have a few questions: Is Murray good at developing his players? Last year, noone seemed to be ready. Or, is it trying to instill Julien’s defense first system?? Also, any word on Sturm’s rehab progress??
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Brandon Dubinsky should take his fruity eskimo self back to Alaska. Next time the B’s match up with the blue shirts, I’m expecting that kid to get ROCKED.
Just roll 4 D;
Chara-Seidenberg
Ference-Stuart
Ference needs the work anyway.
I agree 100%. I thought the same thing last year as well. While people were screaming for Kovalchuk, I wanted Leopold and more depth at D.
And although Nathan Horton has been a tank thus far, the Bruins will sorely miss Dennis Wideman now more than ever.
I’d feel a bit better if Bodnarchuk or Penner — who have a taste of the NHL life — were the two other players called up for the No. 7 slot for the four weeks Boychuk is expected to be sidelined, as opposed to Batkowski and/or Kampfer.