Defenseman Dennis Seidenberg and the Bruins could be very close to a new contract.
According to a reliable source, Seidenberg needs to pass a physical and if all goes well, a deal could be reached within two or three weeks. Seidenberg apparently made it very clear he wants to stay with the team that traded for him at the 2010 NHL trade deadline, and he also wants to avoid another possible long wait in free agency. That's also what he expressed to the media last week.
"Last year was kind of my first year coming out, maybe, so everybody wasn't quite sure what's going to come after that," he said, referring to his free-agent status last summer. "So I would hope that my stock went up. I'd like to get a longer-term deal, obviously, and just stay in one spot for a while."
Seidenberg, who was paid $2.25 million in 2009-10, confirmed to NESN.com that his spot of preference is Boston, and he's hoping something gets done quickly.
"I definitely like it there and want to get something done, so we'll see soon I hope," the German defenseman said from his Florida home. "I feel I fit in nicely there and like the guys a lot."
Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said last week that he too felt Seidenberg found his niche in the unfortunately little time that he was in the lineup due to a late season wrist injury.
"I think we missed Dennis," Chiarelli said. "Dennis, he was a very solid defender who could move the puck well. Strong, strong player. Having Dennis in the mix pushes down other defenders and allows them to have better matchups, so we missed him."
