Lucic Savard Kessel
Wheeler Krejci Ryder
Recchi Bergeron Kobasew
Axelsson Yelle Thornton
Bitz
Chara Ward
Ference Wideman
Stuart Hnidy
Hunwick
Thomas
Fernandez
A third shouldn’t seem like a lot these days, and certainly the core of the Bruins has been kept intact. But looking at the roster is just one way to analyze what is going on with the Bruins and their slow start this season.
It has been well documented that in the first seven games of the season, something in this team has been missing. It's something that was so evident last year — a punch, a spark, an enthusiasm for hard work, an underdog chip on their shoulders that drove them and a stark confidence that they could come back from any deficit. It’s not that they don’t have that edge, but it’s dormant right now.
Why it has been dormant is anyone’s guess, and many Bruins have expressed perplexity at their own inconsistency given the team’s collective level of talent. Head coach Claude Julien continues to answer the media’s questions about what to do next, as though we’re looking for him to find the point that will suddenly jolt this team back to form and re-envelop both players and fans in the highs of winning.
Perhaps the jolt is a wake-up call delivered early in the season via a trade and a few call-ups.
“They’ve played really well in Providence, and they deserved a chance,” general manager Peter Chiarelli said of Providence call-ups Vladimir Sobotka and Brad Marchand.
Sobotka and Marchand theoretically could replace recently-traded veteran Chuck Kobasew on the ice. Both play a gritty style and they are similar in size, but they also bring the added hunger of wanting to prove they are NHL-worthy.
To clarify, the Kobasew trade was certainly not a panic move (3-4-0 is hardly cause for panic). It was something already well in the works to help the Bruins’ cap situation for this year and the next. Their rocky start simply expedited the process.
Lost in the Bruins' early-season struggles may be some bright spots. The B's have shown signs of a great product in their most recent outing at Dallas. David Krejci has had his best workouts yet since returning from offseason surgery.
“I’ve felt great the last two days, a lot better,” Krejci said, referencing increased mobility and strength.
The fourth line of Steve Begin, Shawn Thornton and Byron Bitz has been consistently energetic. The team is dripping with potential, but has been slow to show it.
Maybe it will take a couple of players wanting to show their own individual potential to give the Bruins their first lasting sparks of the season.
