The Boston Bruins signed defenseman Matt Irwin to a one-year contract last week, which added another body to an already crowded blue line.
The 27-year-old veteran tallied 19 points in 53 games for the San Jose Sharks last season. Irwin also has been a pretty good puck possession player with an even-strength Corsi-for percentage above 50 in each of his three NHL seasons. That said, he’s been used primarily in an offensive role with more than 50 percent of his shifts beginning in the attacking zone during all three of those seasons.
Irwin is best suited as a third-pairing defenseman, and there are several players who could challenge him for that role during a training camp and preseason that should feature plenty of competition on the blue line.
First, let’s start with what we know: Zdeno Chara will return to his spot as the No. 1 defenseman on the top pairing. As the following usage chart from War on Ice shows, Chara now is the only B’s defenseman from last season who consistently faced opponents’ top forwards with difficult zone starts and still managed to drive puck possession.
After Chara, there are many different options for head coach Claude Julien to consider when it comes to constructing the blue line.
Zach Trotman should be a lock for an NHL roster spot given his development and how well he played during the final 10 games of the 2014-15 regular season when Dougie Hamilton was out of the lineup with an injury. Trotman, who’s now 24 years old, played on the top pairing with Chara and excelled defensively against top competition and tough zone starts in that 10-game span. Putting him back with Chara on the first pairing to begin the 2015-16 campaign should be strongly considered.
Dennis Seidenberg, who started to play better toward the end of last season, almost certainly will play a top-four role. The 34-year-old veteran is a defensive defenseman who also will regularly kill penalties. He played a lot with Adam McQuaid last season — 355:20 at even strength, to be exact — and they could play together again this season, quite possibly on the second pair.
That would leave Torey Krug for one spot on the third pair, with Colin Miller, Kevan Miller, Joe Morrow and Irwin likely competing for the sixth defenseman role.
Of the nine defensemen mentioned above, only Morrow and Colin Miller have two-way deals. Everyone else is on a one-way contract. Morrow is ready for a long-term look in the NHL after three AHL seasons, but his two-way contract makes him a candidate to begin the season in Providence (even though he probably shouldn’t).
If Morrow starts with the P-Bruins, Irwin and the two Millers are left competing for the No. 6 role.
Irwin is not as physical and doesn’t have as much penalty-killing experience as Kevan Miller, but he brings more to the table in the attacking zone and in the transition game.
Colin Miller is the most well-rounded of these three players and his powerful shot from the point and offensive skill (52 points last season, second among all AHL D-men) would be very useful to a blue line that has lost its leading scorer from 2014-15. Miller’s two-way deal allows him to start next season in Providence, if needed, but he’s the best candidate for the No. 6 spot.
Here are my ideal pairings for the B’s blue line at this time. The Bruins haven’t had this much uncertainty on their blue line in a long time, which should make for an exciting September as positional battles heat up.
Zdeno Chara-Zach Trotman
Dennis Seidenberg-Adam McQuaid
Torey Krug-Colin Miller
Other Candidates: Kevan Miller, Matt Irwin, Joe Morrow
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
