Chiarelli not shy about his desire for D in this year’s draft

Since Peter Chiarelli took over as general manager of the Bruins, draft night and day typically has brought in a bevvy of centers to the organization.

That could change Friday night in St. Paul, Minn., where the Bruins are scheduled to pick ninth overall.

“We haven’t drafted a lot of elite defensemen with our top picks,” said Chiarelli today. “We’ve kind of replenished that side of things with a few trades. So I guess that’d be something we’d be looking at.”

However, don’t pencil in a blueliner just yet. Chiarelli is not committed to a defenseman at all costs, and is still taking the “best player available” approach to not only Friday night’s first round but Saturday’s second through seventh rounds as well.

“You have to be careful that you don’t bypass a real good player. So we’ll be wary of that,” he said.

Chiarelli also said he’s taken a few calls from teams wanting to trade for the Bruins’ pick. But so far, nothing has tickled his fancy.