And there are plenty of young players in the system ready to take a shot at those openings.
"It's a roster that I'm very happy with right now," said Chiarelli on Tuesday. "There are some spots for young players to earn spots. You're never done with your roster, and I can't say that we're definitely done with it. There's always things that crop up. Things happen, things crop up, so it's never done until the opening day roster is filed."
One of the more pleasant developments in recent years has been the emergence of young players to win jobs in camp. Patrice Bergeron did it as an 18-year-old back in 2003, and Blake Wheeler made the leap straight from college two years ago.
Wheeler's strong showing in camp two years ago led Chiarelli to bury Peter Schaefer in the minors despite a one-way deal. A youngster outplaying Michael Ryder this fall could lead to a similar situation. And the idea of getting under the cap by demoting Ryder and his $4 million cap hit would be a bit more palatable if it meant giving an opportunity to younger, cheaper player who had outperformed him in camp.
So there will be opportunities for young players to win jobs this year. But which prospects are poised to take advantage?
Tyler Seguin has already been penciled into the mix up front. Chiarelli has tried to downplay expectations for the Bruins' top pick, but even after saying he'd "like to see how he does in camp," Chiarelli quickly added, "He's a terrific young player. I think he's going to open some eyes at camp."
After Seguin, the most likely youngster to take a run at a job is Joe Colborne, the club's 2008 first-round pick. He got his first taste of pro hockey with a brief stint in Providence after the end of his college season last year and could be fast-tracked to the NHL with a strong camp.
Colborne is a natural center, but with Boston's depth up the middle he, like Seguin, would probably have to move to the wing to play in Boston this year. That's not a problem for Colborne, who played wing for much of the season last year at the University of Denver.
"If they told me if I played goalie I would be on the Bruins, then I would do that," said Colborne during last month's development camp. "I played wing for probably 80 percent of this year [at Denver]. I feel comfortable there. I was a center growing up, but at the highest level I played, I was at wing. Whatever they want me to do, I feel comfortable enough playing that position. And if that's where the opening is, I'll gladly take that any day to play in the NHL."
Two other recent first-round picks will also be vying for spots up front. This could be a make-or-break year for 2007 top pick Zach Hamill, who has struggled at times in Providence the last two years but impressed in a one-game cameo in Boston's regular-season finale against Washington. Jordan Caron, the Bruins' first pick in 2009, will also get a long look, as he would add some much-needed size and strength up front.
Max Sauve, a second-rounder in 2008, could also play his way into contention after an impressive showing in last year's training camp. This year's second-round picks, Jared Knight and Ryan Spooner, are longer shots, but after the show they put on in development camp, it would be unwise to dismiss their chances completely. Brad Marchand, meanwhile, will be looking to secure a permanent role in his third pro season after playing 20 games in Boston last year.
On defense, the top six is set with veterans Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg, Johnny Boychuk, Andrew Ference, Mark Stuart and Matt Hunwick all returning, and Adam McQuaid has the inside track on the seventh spot. Andrew Bodnarchuk and Yuri Alexandrov are the primary threats to McQuaid. Alexandrov, in particular, could surprise. He didn't impress at development camp but he does have pro experience playing in the KHL in his native Russia, and his skill set as a mobile puck-mover is something that is in short supply on Boston's blue line.
With the Bruins' current cap crunch, the team would love to have younger, cheaper alternatives emerge in the near future, so there will be plenty of new faces to keep an eye in camp.
NESN.com will answer one Bruins question every day in August.
Thursday, Aug. 5: Can Mark Recchi defy Father Time for another year?
Saturday, Aug. 7: Can Tuukka Rask avoid a sophomore slump and repeat his success of last season?
