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And just like that, by way of today’s signing of defenseman Matt Irwin to a one-year contract worth $800,000, the Boston Bruins have one crowded, albeit inexperienced, blue line.
The 27-year-old Irwin comes to the Hub on the heels of a year in which he scored eight goals and 19 points in just 53 games for the San Jose Sharks, bumping his career figures up to 16 goals and 51 points in 153 games played (all with San Jose). A 6-foot-2 defender that spent much of the 2014-15 on a pairing with veteran d-man Scott Hannan, Irwin brings another (capable) left shot to Boston’s table (like Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug, Dennis Seidenberg and to a lesser extent, Joe Morrow).
But where does Irwin fit? That’s a question that’s legitimately impossible to answer before camp.
Between Chara, Krug, Seidenberg, Morrow, Adam McQuaid, Kevan Miller, Colin Miller, Zach Trotman, and now Irwin, the Bruins have nine defenders vying for seven spots. There’s no way the Bruins carry eight defensemen to start the season, as that’s just insanity. The natural belief is that Morrow would be one of the two sent back to Providence, as he’s unlikely to usurp any of the Bruins’ proven commodities on that left side. And Colin Miller, on the heels of an impressive 19-goal season with the Manchester Monarchs, could probably benefit from some extra seasoning in the minors. But with Miller, it’s his value as a right-handed shot and smooth skater that could present value to the Bruins if it means keeping McQuaid out of a role above his head (read as: a top-four d-man).
If the Bruins enter the season with a Chara-Trotman top pairing like some anticipate, a Krug-Seidenberg middle pairing would make sense, and a Irwin-McQuaid third pairing could be the B’s angle.
There’s a pattern to be found with this signing, too. Between Colin Miller and Irwin, the Bruins have added two blue liners that can shoot the puck (and this is on a point that already features Chara’s bomb and Krug’s heavy shot, for what it’s worth). This has been a trend among teams that upgrade their blue line -- whether that’s through the draft, free agency, or trades. Teams want defensemen that can get their shot on net. This became a popular trend when the Los Angeles Kings won their Stanley Cups, and is seemingly reinforced by a different team every year since. While old school hockey minds will tell you that goals from defensemen can be considered ‘fool’s gold’, it can also alleviate the pressure on the forward corp to carry the offensive load, which was something the 2014-15 B’s struggled with. Big time.
With the Irwin signing, the Bruins have just under $4.8 million in cap space available.
Ty Anderson has been covering the Boston Bruins for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, is a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com