But the Bruins will have to quickly shift their attention back to the business of winning hockey games. That will be tougher without Savard in the lineup, but at least now knowing that there is no possibility that Savard will attempt another comeback this year gives general manager Peter Chiarelli some freedom to explore other options.
"We built the team with strength down the middle with our centermen and obviously there will be a gap now," Chiarelli said. "So we're going to have to look to fill that gap. We're not going to replace, to be able to replace Marc, so we're going to have to be a little more diligent and see what's out there."
The Bruins have been tight up against the cap all season, a situation that forced them to trade Marco Sturm to the Kings in December for nothing more than cap relief. But with Savard now ruled out for the rest of the season, he has been placed on long-term injured reserve, giving the Bruins some added cap space with an ability to go over the cap in replacing his $4.007-million cap hit.
That will make the Bruins serious players at the trade deadline on Feb. 28, though they may not necessarily use that precious cap space on another center. Chiarelli stated last week that his priority remains adding a puck-moving defenseman, and Savard's cap space may be better served filling that need.
The Bruins could still add some depth up front, but expect more of a veteran role player rather than a big-name addition, as the Bruins still have plenty of depth at center with Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci and Greg Campbell at the position, plus Tyler Seguin, Blake Wheeler and recent call-up Zach Hamill as options on the current roster.
"We all know we have to step up and share the responsibility of filling that big playmaker spot that we our missing," Bruins captain Zdeno Chara said. "It's not that we have to do more, we just have to do it better.
"It's a similar situation to when Patrice got hurt," Chara added, referring to how the team coped with losing Bergeron for the bulk of the 2007-08 season with a serious concussion of his own. "It's one of those things when you lose a player, other guys have to step up. We'll see now who does it. Bergy and his whole line are playing real well. David is picking up his game. We've played Wheeler at that position. He's moved from wing to center and everybody's saying he's doing a real good job. Zach Hamill has been called up. There's always the possibility of Tyler playing that position as well. You have different options and I'm sure the coaches and management is going to try to find the best solution and best fit for the team."
Hamill is getting the first look, making his season debut on Saturday against San Jose. The Bruins also recalled Jordan Caron from Providence Monday night. Caron isn't a center, but he gives them another option at wing if Claude Julien decides to use Wheeler in the middle again. And Chiarelli has not ruled out trading for forward help either.
"Right now we're looking at Zach Hamill up the middle." Chiarelli seaid. "I don't know if he's the answer or not, but we want to go far in the playoffs and we want some experience, too."
Even while stressing the need for all the current Bruins to contribute more to fill the void left by Savard's absence, Chara also recognized that changes are likely on the way.
"I think Peter said it, we're not going to replace Marc," Chara said. "It's so hard to replace such a quality player and such a playmaker. But we'll try our best to find the player most fit for that position and as Peter said, we probably will be busy at the trade deadline."
Chiarelli certainly expects to be working the phones furiously in the coming weeks, especially now that Savard's LTIR exemption gives the club a little cap space to work with.
"We're obviously going to have some flexibility now with replacement players," Chiarelli said. "So in the next few weeks prior to the trade deadline, we'll be busy."
