By Mike McMahon
Mmcmahon@eagletribune.com
October 07, 2008 03:41 pm A lot of the same faces will don the Bruins jersey this season. Turnover was almost non-existent for the B's, who last year qualified for the playoffs as an eighth seed, pushing the top-ranked Montreal Canadiens to the brink. The Bruins roster, albeit still young, should prove to be one of the more balanced ones in the league. The first two forward lines will look more like a No. 1 and No. 1A as opposed to a first and second combo. A duo in net could provide better goaltending than any one person. And, a defensive corps that 1-thru-7 could be one of the deepest in the Eastern Conference. Forwards Key additions: Michael Ryder (free agent), Stephane Yelle (free agent), Blake Wheeler (free agent) Key losses: Glen Murray (buyout) Aside from choosing to buyout the remaining of Glen Murray's deal, which would have paid the forward in upwards of $4.1 million this season, the Bruins return just about everyone else. Replacing Murray on Marc Savard's right wing will be the newly signed Michael Ryder. A 28-year-old power forward, Ryder sniped 85 goals in his first three NHL seasons before struggling to just 14 last year. Ryder had his best season to date as a rookie (63 points) under now-Bruins' head coach Claude Julien in Montreal. Blake Wheeler has opened a lot of eyes in camp. A former fifth-overall pick of the Phoenix Coyotes, the towering 6-foot-4 winger is the only player left in camp that has yet to appear in an NHL game. With four cuts remaining before the roster is trimmed to its final 23, Wheeler's status as of opening night is still unknown. But, the former University of Minnesota forward, who opted not to sign with the Coyotes in May and became a free agent, has certainly earned himself a spot on the roster. Wheeler's camp is reminiscent of Milan Lucic's last season, when the bruising Vancouver native muscled his way onto the roster and never looked back. This season, however, Lucic has seemingly taken a step back in training camp. Thought as a possible first-line left wing opposite Savard and Ryder at the start of camp, Lucic appears, according to exhibition line combinations, to be starting the year in a third or fourth-line role. Defense Key additions: None Key losses: None Zdeno leads a pack of familiar faces on the Bruins blue line. Chara will likely pair with the newly wealthy Dennis Wideman, who signed a four-year contract extension worth approximately $15.5 million this summer. "We have pretty much the same team as last year, only a few changes," Chara said. "It's going to be very important for us to answer the bell again and make sure we have a good start of the season and continue to play well and establish things we accomplished last season" The Bruins will also welcome back Andrew Alberts, who like Bergeron, missed a large chunk of last season (47 games) after being drilled head-first into the boards by a Philadelphia Flyer (Scott Hartnell). Goaltending Key additions: None Key losses: None Tim Thomas proved last season that he can handle the workload of an NHL starting job for a full season. Now, with Manny Fernandez returning from knee surgery, the B's will boast one of the better two-headed monsters in net. "I think as far as Tim Thomas is concerned, he had a great year last year and he is a very good goaltender in this league and we have that situation in pretty good shape," said Julien. "And Manny Fernandez from the two (preseason) games he's played has gotten better already and the last game we played Montreal I thought he was excellent." Julien continued, "Any time you can put in any goaltender in the net and know that he's going to do the job, that's a good feeling. I don't think there's any goaltender in this league can play 82 games so having two good goaltenders like we have puts us in a position of strength." Thomas, who is 34-years-old, mans the pipes with little regard for his own well being, making acrobatic saves that can take a toll on the body. A lighter schedule may do him wonders. Thomas' two best NHL seasons have come with under 60 games played. Two seasons ago, when he appeared in 66, he had his worst statistical season (3.13 goals against, .905 save percentage) to date.
—
Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.