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Training camp fitness testing is a go at TD Garden today, marking the official start of the 2014-15 season for the Boston Bruins. Though it might not appear so on the surface, change is undoubtedly coming to the Black and Gold’s identity this year, and that’s an undeniable truth. The Presidents’ Trophy winners from a year ago aren’t exactly projected to be the juggernaut they were a year ago -- a lot of that comes back to the summertime loss of Jarome Iginla and uncertain futures of the still unsigned Torey Krug and Reilly Smith -- but there’s still plenty to be excited about in the Hub of Hockey.
For the first time in what feels like years, the Bruins have an abundance of youth ready (as in, actually ready) to compete for NHL jobs. And for the first time in what feels like years, the Bruins actually have openings.
And this is where it all begins. 32 forwards (31 if you exclude Smith, who won’t be there without a contract), 17 defensemen (16 if you exclude Krug, who’s in the same boat as Smith), and four goaltenders.
Little by little that number will shrink, and this year’s Bruins squad will be formed.
Forwards:
Patrice Bergeron, Anthony Camara, Gregory Campbell, Jordan Caron, Craig Cunningham, Loui Eriksson, Alexander Fallstrom, Brian Ferlin, Rob Flick, Justin Florek, Matt Fraser, Simon Gagne, Seth Griffith, Cory Kane, Bracken Kearns, Chris Kelly, Alexander Khokhlachev, Jared Knight, David Krejci, Ville Leino, Matt Lindblad, Milan Lucic, Brad Marchand, Daniel Paille, David Pastrnak, Tyler Randell, Bobby Robins, Ben Sexton, [Reilly Smith], Carl Söderberg, Ryan Spooner, Ethan Werek.
No real surprises here, I suppose. The Bruins will likely open up with Loui Eriksson or 2014 first-round pick David Pastrnak skating with Milan Lucic and David Krejci on the top line. You can bank on Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron remaining intact with tons of guys getting looks on the right wing of that line while Smith remains unsigned.
The third line’s an interesting one. You gotta think it’ll be a revolving door at center with Carl Soderberg and Chris Kelly, but Ryan Spooner could provide some competition at that spot, and Matt Fraser, Jordan Caron, Seth Griffith, Justin Florek, and Brian Ferlin are among those expected to compete for a spot on that line as well.
In total, there's currently about three or maybe even four spots without skaters to their names.
You know the story on most of those names, but Ferlin’s an interesting case. The Bruins really love his game, and have even considered him as a darkhorse candidate to nab a spot with the big league club. Though he doesn’t have a single pro game to his name, the 6-foot-2 winger possesses a right-handed shot, and registered 31 goals and 72 points in three seasons (92 games) with Cornell University.
And if there’s one player that could really benefit from a strong camp, it’s Jared Knight. A fan favorite during his tenure with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, the Bruins took Knight with the 32nd overall pick (the lone second-round choice the B’s received from Toronto in the Phil Kessel trade) in the 2010 NHL Draft based on his grit and style that could make him a legitimate NHL asset. But the 5-foot-11 has really had a difficult time translating that unique combination of effort and skill into success at the professional level. Injuries have had their say (and then some) when it comes to Knight’s pro career, which includes just six goals and 24 points in 71 games at the AHL level, but with an opening on Boston’s fourth line, a strong camp that shows off Knight’s potential could put his Bruins career back on track.
Up front, the list of noteworthy tryouts is headlined by Ville Leino and Simon Gagne. The 34-year-old Gagne is attempting a comeback after taking all of last season off, and comes to Boston after scoring five goals and 16 points in 38 games during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign. Meanwhile, the versatile Leino is looking to put his career back on the NHL map after a disastrous three-year stint with the Buffalo Sabres that yielded just 10 goals and 46 points in 137 games for the club. So, one has a year of rink-rust to his name, and the other is trying to put a thousand-day nightmare for a nightmare club behind him. It’s safe to assume that both of these guys will get looks up and down the lineup, but their ideal roles would be found on either the B’s second line, or with Soderberg and Kelly on the third.
Two other players on tryouts? Ethan Werek and Bracken Kearns. New Englanders may be familiar with these guys from their previous tenures with AHL clubs. Kearns is a 33-year-old that most recently played with the Worcester Sharks, recording 25 points in 45 games last year. Meanwhile, Werek is a 23-year-old former second-round pick that’s spent his entire pro career with the Portland Pirates, checking in with 25 goals and 56 points in 182 games. Werek was signed to an AHL deal with the P-Bruins in July.
Defensemen:
Linus Arnesson, Matt Bartkowski, Johnny Boychuk, Chris Breen, Chris Casto, Zdeno Chara, Tommy Cross, Steve Eminger, Dougie Hamilton, [Torey Krug], Adam McQuaid, Kevan Miller, Joe Morrow, Dennis Seidenberg, Zach Trotman, David Warsofsky, Ben Youds
Looking at this list sort of just reminds you how loaded the Bruins are with NHL-ready defensemen.
Chara, Hamilton, Seidenberg, Boychuk, McQuaid, Bartkowski, Krug (unsigned), and Miller. That’s eight right there. Don’t think for a second there’s not some unannounced-but-undoubtedly-known competition there among the roster, either. It’s a competition beyond ice-time, no less. One of these guys, at least from the sound of summertime chatter from Boston’s front office, is going to be traded really soon in order to make room for Krug’s new contract. Throw Warsofsky in and it’s nine. Again, somebody’s gotta go.
Then you have your tweeners-- Zach Trotman and Joe Morrow.
What’s the ceiling for these guys with the Bruins? Are they something the Bruins hang onto, or explore as trade chips? The 6-foot-3 Trotman, the last pick in the 2010 NHL Draft, has already appeared in two big league games with the Bruins, while Morrow, a former first-round pick, recorded six goals and 29 points in 56 games last year. For me, both of these guys are still too young to bail on, but if they continue to bang on the NHL door by dominating the AHL level, where do they go? Boston’s blue line is more than bloated. A nice camp by either of these guys only further complicates an already fuzzy picture.
It’s not a terrible problem though, all things considered.
This will also be B’s fans first view of Linus Arnesson. The steady defender was the club’s first selection in the 2013 NHL Draft (60th overall), and signed an entry-level deal earlier this summer.
Both Steve Eminger and Ben Youds will attend camp on a tryout basis. They’re both signed to AHL deals.
Goaltenders:
Tuukka Rask, Jeremy Smith, Malcolm Subban, Niklas Svedberg
This is the easiest one to dissect, really. Nobody is usurping the reigning Vezina Trophy winning Tuukka Rask as the No. 1 in Boston’s crease. And after two years in the AHL, and with one start to his name last season, the back-up job is Niklas Svedberg’s to lose (even then, he probably won’t). But it’ll be interesting to see just how much ice-time the B’s give to their 2012 first-rounder, Malcolm Subban.
Subban is projected to be the P-Bruins’ No. 1 goaltender this year after finishing his rookie year in the AHL with a 15-10-5 record, .920 save percentage, and 2.31 goals against average.
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