Boston finished the 2010-11 season atop the NHL with its first Stanley Cup championship in 39 years. But how will the 2011-12 Bruins fare? This week we’ll take a look at how the Bruins stack up at each position for the upcoming season, starting with the club’s deep corps of talented centers.
Who’s Back
The Bruins will have their entire group of centers back from their postseason run. That includes David Krejci, who tied for the team lead in scoring in the regular season with 13-49-62 totals, then led the entire league in the postseason with 12-11-23 totals. Krejci is a solid two-way performer who has clicked well with Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton on the top line. The Bruins will have to hope that the finishing touch he showed in the playoffs remains on display throughout the season and that Krejci can contribute more on the power play (just one goal and 11 assists last year on the man advantage). Patrice Bergeron was likewise instrumental in the Bruins success, not only delivering offensively (22-35-57 in regular season, 6-14-20 in playoffs) while centering the second line, but also remaining one of the league’s best defensive forwards. Gregory Campbell was a revelation in his first season in Boston, anchoring the fourth line and supplying both scoring (13-16-29) and toughness (93 PIMs, 11 fighting majors). The third line will likely be centered by Chris Kelly, who will look to build off a strong playoff showing (5-8-13) in his first full season with the Bruins. Fellow trade deadline acquisition Rich Peverley and second-year breakout candidate Tyler Seguin are natural centers as well, but are likely to spend the bulk of the upcoming season on the wing once again with the Bruins’ depth down the middle.
Who’s Gone
There were no significant departures from the position this offseason, but Marc Savard is expected to miss the upcoming season and a return to the ice at any point is unlikely as he continues to suffer from post-concussion symptoms. A player of Savard’s skill level is never easy to replace, but the Bruins showed last year that they have the depth to withstand his absence. Savard was limited to just 25 games last year and was far from his old self even before a second concussion in less than a year ended his season in January. The Bruins also traded away one of the top center prospects in their system at the deadline when they gave up 2008 first-rounder Joe Colborne in a deal for defenseman Tomas Kaberle.
Who’s New
With everyone back and the Bruins already facing a logjam down the middle, Boston didn’t add any centers this offseason likely to make an impact with the big club. They did sign Josh Hennessy for some veteran leadership in Providence. The Bay State native played 20 games in the NHL with Ottawa from 2006-10. The Bruins also added another talented playmaker to the pipeline with the selection of skilled Russian center Alexander Khokhlachev in the second round of this year’s draft.
In the System
Even with the departure of Colborne, the Bruins have plenty of depth at the position in the organization. Hennessy and Trent Whitfield are veteran insurance policies who could fill in with the big club if injuries strike, while Jamie Arniel and Zach Hamill are more likely to get a look if needed, though time is running out for Hamill to live up to the expectations that made him the eighth overall pick in 2007. Carter Camper and Stefan Chaput round out the center corps in Providence, while Maxime Sauve can also play in the middle, but his future is likely on the wing. Arniel has also seen time on the wing and new Providence coach Bruce Cassidy is considering trying Hamill out there as well this season. There’s even more talent beyond that group, led by Ryan Spooner. He made a run at a roster spot last year in camp and will likely get a long look again, though he will have to return to his junior team if he doesn’t make the Boston roster. The Bruins also have Khokhlachev and college products Ben Sexton (Clarkson), Nick Tremblay (Clarkson) and Mark Goggin (Dartmouth).
Roster Prediction
There shouldn’t be a lot a drama in the decisions at this spot in camp. Krejci, Bergeron, Kelly and Campbell, along with Peverley and Seguin, have spots locked up. The only issues to be ironed out are the line combinations and which of Kelly, Peverley and Seguin will stay in the middle and which will move to the wing. Beyond that, Spooner could make things interesting with another strong camp, while Arniel, Hamill and Sauve could vie for spots up front, albeit likely on the wing.
NESN.com Bruins beat writer Douglas Flynn will analyze a different position on the Bruins roster every day this week.
Coming next: Right Wing
