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On Thursday, it will be seven weeks to the day that captain Zdeno Chara injured his knee in an awkward collision with John Tavares in a loss against the New York Islanders. And though the 37-year-old has been out longer than the original prognosis that called for No. 33 to be sidelined for four-to-six weeks, the Bruins were more than happy to welcome him back to practice on Tuesday morning.
In 19 (rather ugly) games without Chara, the Bruins have done what they’ve had to in order to survive. They’ve won 11 of 19, nabbing 23 of a possible 38 points, and sit in the second wild card spot in the Eastern by two points. Their 31 points put them at fifth in the Atlantic Division (fourth-place Toronto has 31 points, but two games in hand over Boston), trailing first-place Tampa Bay by eight points.
For the Bruins, sans Chara life hasn’t been their worst hockey. But it’s been far from their best.
In Chara’s absence, the Bruins have relied heavily on third-year pro Dougie Hamilton and Dennis Seidenberg to handle the defensive responsibilities on a nightly basis.
It’s been hit or miss for both players, too. Though Hamilton has been able to rack up the points and go against top-tier talents, he’s still not yet the shutdown defender the Bruins hope he’ll be as his career progresses. It’s a double-edged sword when it comes to Hamilton-- Sometimes you want more, but then you remember he’s just 21 years old. And sometimes you’re convinced that they could hand him the keys to the franchise, but again, then you remember that he’s still just 21 years old. In Seidenberg’s case, this is a guy that missed 56 games (44 regular season, all 12 postseason) last year with a torn ACL. The rust element is real, and something he’s battled with for much of this season. He’s also taken an inordinate amount of penalties, most of which coming from Seidenberg struggling to get into position or knock the puck free.
Still, these two have strung more good than bad games together in lieu of Chara’s booming presence.
But it’s been the trickle-down effect that’s hurt the Black and Gold when it comes to Chara’s injury. The Bruins have repeatedly asked Joe Morrow, David Warsofsky (though he’s missed the last 13 games with a groin injury), Matt Bartkowski, and Zach Trotman to skate in roles above their current ceilings, and that’s been on full display against some of the league’s better, more skilled squads.
Those issues could become more of a minor issue for the B’s, however, with Boston coach Claude Julien admitting that he’s ‘more optimistic’ that Chara will play against Chicago on Thursday.
Chara, who has two goals and an assist in nine games this year, still has one big obstacle in his way.
He still needs the full medical clearance from the Bruins’ training staff. But after a week of on-ice training during the club’s Pacific coast road swing, it seems like it’s no longer a matter of weeks, but rather days (if not hours), until Big Z is ready to return to his post on the B’s blue line.
You don’t need a thousand-word essay to explain the importance of that to the Hub, either.
B's center David Krejci and Warsofsky also returned to practice on Tuesday, but like Chara, they'll need to be cleared before they're allowed to return to game action.
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