It's time for Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney to mash the panic button.'
His defense corps has suffered two significant injuries in the past two days and the walls appear to be falling down around the Bruins.
On Wednesday, the Bruins announced that 34 year old defenseman Dennis Seidenberg will be undergoing a microdiscectomy surgery on his back to correct a herniated disc. He is supposed to be lost to the Bruins until U.S. Thanksgiving, if not longer.
Earlier tonight, Zdeno Chara suffered an upper body injury and was forced to sit out the rest of the game versus the NY Rangers. According to reports, Chara was not involved in any heavy collisions nor conflicts so his upper body injury is a mystery to all right now. His night ended just 4:05 into the game. Big loss if Chara is injured long term.
Watching TV replays, Chara got hit by Ryan Bourque into the bench. Looked like he caught the bench with his hip.
— Amalie Benjamin (@AmalieBenjamin) September 25, 2015
The 38 year old future Hall Of Famer played only three shifts and 1:57 TOI in the game.
It's not known right now the extent of the injury.
If Chara's injury ends up being a long term issue, the Bruins will have to make an immediate trade in order to stop the blue line bleeding.
UPDATE: Zdeno Chara out with an upper-body injury, will not return. ^BB
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) September 24, 2015Sweeney has only $4.7 million in available salary cap space to work with and he can use another top four D to compensate for the previous losses of Dougie Hamilton (traded to Calgary), Johnny Boychuk (traded to NY Islanders), Seidenberg and now Chara.
Sweeney likely would love to make a trade with Winnipeg to secure pending unrestricted free agent D/forward Dustin Byfuglien. Question being, is Winnipeg interested in trading "Big Buff" or will they be extension him a multi-year contract extension with $6-$6.65 million AAV? The speculation in The Peg is GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will extend a long term extension to captain Andrew Ladd who becomes a UFA on July 1, 2016. What's more, the Jets also have to extend restricted free agents to be Mark Scheifele, Jacob Trouba, and Adam Lowry. There is only so much money to go around in Winnipeg. Trading Byfuglien will create cap space for Cheveldayoff to invest in long term contract extensions for Ladd, Sheifele, Trouba, and Lowry.
The 30 year old Byfuglien will earn $5.2 million this season.
Byfuglien checks off all the boxes of elements that Sweeney wants in a D-man. He is big, strong, ornery, skilled, mobile, has a bomb of a shot for the point, plays 5 on 5, and PP.
Losing Lucic's intimidation factor will allow Eastern opponents breathe a sigh of relief. However, if Bruins add Big Buff, enemies will have to think twice about storming Tuukka Rask's castle without getting lumped up by the 6'5", 265-ish pound defender.
I'd be willing to bet you that Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney is kicking himself right now for failing to sign former UFA defenseman Cody Franson. Sweeney spent the summer of 2015 pursuing the big, mobile defenseman. His pursuit of Franson ended two weeks ago when the former Toronto Maple Leaf and Nashville Predators rear guard agreed to a two year, $6.65 million contract with Bruins division rival the Buffalo Sabres.
Franson would have added needed depth to a new-look Bruins D corps that was made weaker by the trade of young star Dougie Hamilton to the Calgary Flames.
Sweeney was dealt another stinging blow to the solar plexus today when it was learned that Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg will undergo "a lumbar microdiscectomy surgery to repair a lumbar spine disc herniation on Thursday. Seidenberg will now be sidelined for approximately eight weeks, if not longer.
The 34 year old Seidenberg has been hampered by injuries the past few seasons. Seidenberg played in all 82 regular season games last season. However he played in only 34 games in 2013-14 and and only 46 games in 2012-13.
Before the Seidenberg surgery news was announced, the Bruins were preparing to play with a rebuilt back end that features the breaking down and aging 38 year old Zdeno Chara, surgically repaired Adam McQuaid and Kevan Miller, Torey Krug, Matt Irwin, and Zach Trotman.
Take Chara and Seidenberg away from the Boston blue line for a long period of time and the Bruins will be in a world of hurt. NHL teams cannot earn a playoff spot in October. However, NHL teams can dig themselves such an awful hole by losing points in October and November that can prevent them from earning a playoff berth in April. Slow starts are like poison blow darts shot into the necks of NHL GMs. Don Sweeney can ill afford to suffer another veteran loss like his captain Chara. He is already entering the season without his bully Milan Lucic (Traded to LA) and Dougie Hamilton.
The Seidenberg injury will no doubt force Sweeney to pursue a trade in the weeks to come to fill the gaping hole left behind by the veteran German puck mover.
The Bruins do not appear to have a suitable NHL-ready prospect that can be promoted from AHL Providence to the Bruins.
Sweeney may want to get on the phone and call Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray who has a surplus of D-men in training camp right now. Dan Bylsma will play veterans Zach Bogosian, Rasmus Ristolainen, Josh Gorges, Cody Franson, Mark Pysyk, and Mike Weber. However, the Sabres have Matt Donovan and Carlo Colaiocovo in camp competing for playing time in Buffalo this season. Prospect Jake McCabe is also competing for the sixth and seventh defense roster spot. Tim Murray and Bylsma are also high on 2015 draft choice Brendan Guhle who has impressed the Buffalo brass in scrimmages and exhibition game in the Minnesota on Monday night.
Much more to come on this Chara injury...