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Last season, the Boston Bruins were unconventional for a number of reasons. One typically considered unusual tactic was the nearly year-long decision to carry eight defensemen on their NHL roster. But if
Christian Ehrhoff has his say eight will once again be the norm for the Black and Gold.
Invited to B’s training camp on a professional tryout, and a veteran of 789 games in the NHL, including 48 between the Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks last season, the 34-year-old comes to Boston’s camp on the heels of an impressive run on a surprising Team Europe squad.
In six games for Team Europe, the German defender tallied three assists (tops among Europe defensemen), and impressed one of the coaches he went against in the World Cup Final, Team Canada assistant coach, and more importantly on Oct. 1, Bruins head coach
Claude Julien.
“He’s a good-sized defenseman, skates well, moves the puck well. What I liked about him, and I told him that he was compete level was really good,” Julien said of Ehrhoff. “If he comes here and competes the same way, he’s a guy that could certainly come and make things interesting for us.”
A left-handed defenseman capable of playing either side, the 6-foot-2 blue-liner has bounced around with four teams over the last three seasons, but comes with a legitimate shot to crack the B’s roster.
“I had really felt he was a real good addition to our group to try and make our team,” Julien continued. “Certainly was deserving in my mind to come here and if he plays the way he did [in the World Cup] and we see the things we like, well then there’s a chance he’ll make our back-end better.”
But with
Zdeno Chara,
Torey Krug,
John-Michael Liles,
Adam McQuaid,
Colin Miller,
Kevan Miller, and
Joe Morrow on NHL contracts, and with 2015 second-round draft pick
Brandon Carlo knocking at the door with an impressive training camp in big situations and roles on Boston's top four, there’s no doubt that Ehrhoff has his work cut out for him.
It’s a hunger that the Bruins have strived to create throughout camp, for roster and non-roster players alike. And it’s simply part of life in the pros, especially for a B’s organization trying to break a two-year playoff drought that’s come with back-to-back collapses out of postseason contention on Game 82.
“This is a business that runs on success and you have to do what’s right for your team, and players have to do what’s right for them,” Julien said of the defensive logjam and how the players handle it. “For another guy coming in, you have to worry about yourself, making sure that you’re playing well and that you deserve to be on the team. It’s as simple as that You don’t have to look over your shoulder and worry about the guy next to you more than you have to worry about yourself.”
It will be interesting to see just what the Black and Gold do with their roster, in regards to a trade or other defensive related roster move, if Ehrhoff does find a way to crack the team.
Ehrhoff, along with fellow World Cup Finalists
Patrice Bergeron, Chara, and
Brad Marchand, will join the Bruins at Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton, Mass., on Monday morning.
Ty Anderson has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, has been a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter since 2013, and can also be read in the New England Hockey Journal magazine. Contact him on Twitter or send him an email at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.
Boston Bruins Blogger •Bruins Feature Columnist • 
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