Remember the days of yore where players such as Mark Stuart, Matt Hunwick and Patrice Bergeron were just players doing their best to crack a roster spot? Since then, the team is on the rise, but as is the case with any good NHL franchise (see: Detroit Red Wings), the foundation is laid within the organization and their prospects.

Appearing to have set spots on this year’s big league Bruins are defenseman Johnny Boychuk, who won the Eddie Shore award last season in the AHL with Providence, center Vladimir Sobotka, and goaltending phenom Tuuka Rask, who spent yet another year down in Rhode Island.

However, injuries are an inevitable evil in hockey and there are a great deal of prospects to keep an eye on this season down on the farm.

1. Zach Hamill (Center)

The Boston Bruins first round pick from the 2007 NHL Draft is showing strides of becoming a more capable player and solidifying his argument for a spot in line for a trip to Boston. While the 20-year-old center struggled last year in Providence, putting up just 26 points in 65 games, the former Everett Silvertip is coming off a strong camp and even better preseason to date.

Looking at his struggles at the AHL level, it’s almost necessary to give Hamill a pass on his first trip into the league and when you factor in the broken wrist he suffered early in the season. Bigger things should arrive this upcoming year for the P-Bruins.

Given his smaller size, Hamill could be looked upon a possible fill in for Phil Kessel and if injuries strike the forwards in bunches. He’s in the midst of a battle for a spot on the big league roster due to his impressive preseason play and absence of David Krejci for at least the first two weeks of the season.

2. Brad Marchand (Right Winger)

Simply put, the 5’9″ winger is a perfect fit for the new NHL.

Taken in the third round of the 2006 Draft, the Nova Scotia-native is already making serious strides towards becoming ready for the leap to the NHL. Marchand followed a spectacular regular season where he finished with 59 points in 79 games with an even better post-season where he had 15 points in 16 games for Providence.

The Bruins’ prospect is currently ranked as the 8th best prospect in the Bruins system by HockeysFuture.com, but the 21-year-old is quickly on the rise on not only their charts, but the Boston depth chart.

Along with Hamill, Marchand is playing very aggressively and is hungry for a spot on the Boston Bruins to begin the season.

3. Jamie Arniel (Forward)

Unfortunately, Arniel’s NHL career didn’t start off on the right foot that he wishes it did. Shortly after being drafted by Boston with the 98th overall pick in 2008, Arniel was busted for driving while under the influence in Canada.

Since then, Arniel has matured greatly and has let his play do the talking for him. Following another successful season with the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League where he put up over 60 points, Arniel joined the Providence Bruins for their bid for the Calder Cup. In his eight games with the P-Bruins, Arniel had one goal and seemed to be going through adjustments to the AHL.

Arniel is set to begin his first season as a full-time AHL-er and strong camp, Arniel should get many looks from the front office located on Causeway Street.

4. Maxime Sauve (Center)

When Bruins fans got their first look at Maxime Sauve during the 2008 Rookie Training and Development Camp, the results were not so good. The center simply appeared to be lost out there, out of sync and not ready to take the next step on the path to the NHL.

However, when Sauve arrived in Wilmington in July in 2009, it was as if the six-foot tall forward made a complete transformation. Sauve was coming off a great season with Val D’Or of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League where he tallied 76 points in 64 games and it appeared as if the 19-year-old did some serious maturing in his all-around game during the season.

Due to his age, Sauve will begin the season in the Q for another go-round, where he’s already on the board with one goal in one game. However, once his season is finished, the lefty is sure to join the Providence Bruins for their stretch run where we’re expected to get an even better preview of what’s to come in the future.

5. Yannick Riendeau (Right Wing)

When the Bruins came to an agreement on an entry-level deal with Yannick Riendeau, the fan reaction from the die-hards was a mix of questions, concerns, and anticipation.

The undersized forward who went undrafted is coming off his best season in the QJMHL with the Drummondville Voltiguers. Riendeau put up an amazing 126 points in 64 games, only to out do himself with 52 points in 19 playoff games. Without question, Riendeau and linemate Dany Masse were the most dominant duo in the Q in 2008-09. Ironically, as Riendeau told me during an interview, he and Masse were roommates throughout the season and found themselves rooting against one another as Masse signed a contract with the Montreal Canadiens as Riendeau did with Boston just before the playoffs started.

However, the questions are raised when seeing that Riendeau was a 21-year-old playing against mostly teenagers. Also, why wasn’t he drafted? Is Riendeau just a beneficiary of playing next to Dany Masse or vice-versa? Can Riendeau compete at the same level in the AHL and transpire that into success with the black and gold of Boston?

Riendeau is currently out due to shoulder surgery, but he is expected to return to action in November and take to the Providence ice.

© Ty Anderson for Sports of Boston, 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments
Filed under: Bruins, Featured.

Isn’t it hard to believe that the Boston Bruins are a legitimate Stanley Cup contender? Granted, this team has yet to make it beyond the Eastern Conference Semifinals, but the devastatingly upsetting way that last season ended gave B’s fans a look of what was to come, and what was in the B’s future. With just 18 days left until the Boston Bruins take the ice at the TD Garden, the atmosphere and expectations for this club have certainly risen…and for good reason.

In Boston, the expectation for our teams is to win, regardless of the sport. Be it the Bruins or the Boston Lobsters (Martina Navratilova is your favorite player? Yeah, mine too.), the fans in the Hub expect a tradition of hard work and dedication night in and night out. While the 2008-09 Bruins didn’t bring Lord Stanley’s hardware back where it belongs (oddly enough Hal Gill did , but that’s irrelevant), the feeling among the fans is that of pure anticipation as the youngsters continue to develop and the veterans continue to shine.

Notably, players such as Tim Thomas, Marc Savard, and Zdeno Chara are expected to continue to compete at a very high level, but with this year’s squad being faced with a whole new set of challenges as the Bruins look to be the team to beat in the East, just who should we expect to achieve greater things in 2009-’10?

5. Matt Hunwick, D

To put it lightly, last season did not end well for Bruins defenseman Matt Hunwick. Prior to Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Montreal Canadiens, Bruins fans were shocked to find out that Matt Hunwick was rushed to the hospital from the team’s practice facility in Wilmington, MA to seek emergency treatment for a stomach problem.

It turned out that Hunwick had suffered a ruptured spleen and ultimately his playoffs were cut short after just one game. The loss of Hunwick proved to be more pivotal than originally believed as the Bruins had trouble keeping up with the speedy Hurricanes in the second round and were ousted on home ice against the sixth seeded ‘Canes.

Hunwick, who had passed at one time Bruins prized possession Matt Lashoff on the depth chart was coming off a solid season for the Bruins where he put up 27 points in 53 games for the black and gold. Part of what made Hunwick so valuable was his ability to play forward at times without missing a beat, making him a hybrid of sorts on the Bruins roster where he could perform at both positions capably, much like Dustin Byfuglien of the Chicago Blackhawks.

With the loss of Steve Montador (no complaining here), Shane Hnidy, and Aaron Ward, it appears that Hunwick will officially get his chance as an everyday player for the Bruins. Although he’s likely to be paired on the third defensive pair with Mark Stuart or Andrew Ference, Hunwick’s offensive capabilities will prove to be a great asset to an offensively deep team.

4. Mark Stuart, D

En route to becoming factual evidence in the city of Boston: Mark Stuart is an animal.

The Bruins’ bruising blue-liner is coming off a career year in almost every category. The 25 year old American put up 17 points, showing a rarely seen offensive side and finished with a +20.

Stuart, who was also credited with 95 hits and 105 blocked shots, is coming off an even more impressive postseason where he was absolutely destructive to the opposition when on the ice.

Due to Aaron Ward’s departure to Carolina in a trade, Mark Stuart will without question become the Bruins premier defensive defensemen behind Zdeno Chara and should continue to become a younger and more versatile version of Aaron Ward.

3. Patrice Bergeron, C

It can be argued that when you’ve already put up a 70-point season in your career that there’s no “breaking out” because well, you already have. However, if you’ve seen what Bruins center and alternate captain Patrice Bergeron has been through over the past two NHL seasons, you’ll know why he and the rest of us are expecting big things in this upcoming season.

Following a disgustingly scary moment where you felt your heart in your throat as the TD Garden went silent on October 27, 2007 when Patrice Bergeron layed still and motionless on the Garden ice following a questionable hit, the future of Bergeron was simply uncertain. Too many times had concussions ruined the careers of promising players such as Eric Lindros and Pat LaFontaine, the feeling among the Bruins faithful was that the same fate was in store for the 24-year-old center.

However, a determined Bergeron wasn’t about to change his style of play as the 2003 second round choice returned for the 2008-09 season until once again, his future was once again put in question after a Dennis Seidenberg hit left him down and out for the second time in fourteen months.

Bergeron returned just over a month later and truly found his swagger. The 24-year-old was back to playing without fear, and finished the season with strong play that lead into an even stronger postseason.  After knocking down Josh Gorges with a left hook in his first career fight, Bergeron and his line proved to be a shutdown line for the proceeding series against the ‘Canes.

Due in large part to Krejci’s hip surgery recovery, Bergeron is sure to get his chances to begin the season and with the expectations boosted from the playoffs it’ll be interesting to see how he bounces back with a possible reunion with Marco Sturm.

2. Milan Lucic, LW

Already achieving of cult-status in Boston, the Bruins young forward is ready for yet another season of continuing to get better. The 19-year old British Columbia native who joined the Bruins straight from the Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Giants, is already gaining a reputation as a dangerous player in all facets of the game. Known for his ability to pummel you with his fists and throw a body check that’ll send you into next week, Lucic has become a new-found scoring threat to the opposition.

Playing on the top line with Marc Savard and Phil Kessel in 2008-09, Lucic tallied 17 goals and doubled his goal total from the year before. Despite the offensive breakout, Lucic didn’t shy away from the rough stuff as he finished 136 penalty minutes, although never tangling with Canadiens part-time enforcer Georges Laraque. The goon antics of Laraque continued to unphase the Bruins and Lucic as the Habs were swept out by Boston in the first round, a series where Lucic chipped in three assists and was still as physical as ever.

Will Lucic continue to prove that the third year in the NHL is the breakout one as his play could ultimately lead to a spot on Team Canada in the 2010 Olympics in Lucic’s hometown of Vancouver? My belief? Buy your Canada “Lucic” t-shirt’s while they’re still on the shelf.

1. Blake Wheeler RW/LW

Remember how excited the Hub of Hockey was when the Bruins acquired 6’5″ forward and University of Minnesota standout Blake Wheeler? The Coyotes first round pick from the 2004 NHL Draft had refused to sign with Phoenix and was reportedly down to signing with either the Canadiens, Rangers or Bruins.

Fortunately, the talented winger agreed to come to Boston on a two-year contract and the results were simply great…until January hit.

The rookie finished the 2008 calendar year with 13 goals and 10 assists and the Bruins were appearing to have a Calder Trophy nominee on their squad. However, the grueling rigors of an NHL schedule took their effect on the forward who had never played more than 55 games in a season due to being in the NCAA. Although Wheeler finished with 45 points in total, his play in the second half and playoffs led to a benching in the second round against Carolina.

Will Wheeler react the same way Phil Kessel did following his playoff benching in 2008?

It may be too early to tell, but with the fire lit under Wheeler, it could only mean good things for the Bruins heading into 2009-10. With Phil Kessel virtually out of the picture in Boston, Wheeler has arguably become the Bruins best young scoring forward who’ll without question become a monster at the NHL level when fully conditioned to an 82-game schedule in the NHL.

© Ty Anderson for Sports of Boston, 2009. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Bruins, Featured, Top Story.

As is the case every year, the Boston Bruins rookies eagerly arrived in Wilmington to take the ice and show off their skills to coaches, executives, and fans. As the camp concluded, it appears that the development of players from the 2008 camp has continued to grow strongly due in large part to time with either the Providence Bruins of the AHL or maturity in the junior leagues. With the players officially back home, it’s time to look back and review how the camp went.

Ryan Button and Yuri Alexandrov

Defenseman Ryan Button and Russian prospect Yuri Alexandrov certainly made their presence known on the blue-line. Both showed great promise and were more than willing to use their size to their advantage during the drills and scrimmage. Alexandrov, who spent his last two seasons in the KHL, demonstrated great skating abilities and showed no signs of being unable to keep up with the North Americans.

Jordan Caron

Along with the blue-liners of tomorrow, Jordan Caron certainly surprised many of the fans in attendance at Ristuccia throughout the week. For a 6’2″ forward, Caron had surprisingly good puck-handling skills and was more than capable as a skater. During the drills, Caron frequently got into good battles for the puck with Yuri Alexandrov, which were very Bruin-like. It appears as if the gritty and not-afraid-to-get-your-hands-dirty style of play practiced by the Bruins is even showing up among their prospects.

Jamie Arneil

Speaking of gritty, 2008 draft choice Jamie Arniel had a strong showing throughout the week. Playing on the ‘gold-line’ with Tyler Randell and U-Mass Lowell forward Scott Campbell, Arniel’s strong play surprised fans who mainly know Arniel as a guy who made news clippings for his off-ice issues.

Arniel’s biggest improvement seems to be his shot, which looked phenomenally better than it was in 2008, and in the scrimmage Arniel showed his two-way style of play after scoring a goal past Matt Dalton on a breakaway after forcing a turnover. Arniel’s development will be continued in Providence, where he finished the season in the Bruins attempt for the Calder Cup.

Maxime Sauve

Although Arniel showed great improvement from 2008, he’s not the only skater who shined out on the ice compared to last year. Maxime Sauve, the Bruins second round pick from 2008, has shown an all around improvement in his game. Notably, his puck awareness has improved dramatically, along with ability to create scoring chances on the grey line, which consisted of line-mates Zach Hamill and Jordan Caron. Sauve will begin the year back with Val d’Or of the Q, but I’d pick the lefty to finish out the second half of the season with Providence if he continues to develop into a legitimate offensive weapon.

Other Camp Invitees

With the draft picks and free agent signings come the camp invites. This year the Bruins invited seven players to their camp, including Boston University’s Jason Lawrence and loud-mouth Rob Kwiet, who’s deking and loud personality was a hit among fans sitting in the frozen bleachers. Mark Isherwood, another camp invite had a strong showing and displayed some offensive skills for a defensemen. The other three un-signed invites, defensemen Brady Lamb, Tyler Ludwig and forwards Scott Campbell all played worthy of receiving contract offers from Boston as well.

Goalie of the Future?

For the Bruins, the need for a possible netminder of the future continues. Although Tuukka Rask is slated to be the goaltender of the future in the Hub of Hockey, it’s never set in stone that he can hold up and have the mindset of a full time NHL goalie (see: Hannu Toivonen).

Matt Dalton, a pivotal cog in the Bemidji State miracle run, had a strong camp, displaying great mechanical skills while his only weakness appeared to be his blocker side. Sporting new pads and a new helmet, Michael Hutchinson had a great camp and looked as if he improved in every facet of his game from the previous year. Despite the strong showing of these two crease-protectors, the play of Adam Courchaine also got notably better, specifically when it came down to his shot recovery.

Final Thoughts

With the rookies set to return in September, they’ll now either spend the next month and a half relaxing, or getting up to health as Tommy Cross, Yannick Riendeau and Zach McKelvie were held to minimal on-ice activity or none at all throughout the week.
As the fans got the chance to watch the rookies on the ice, then meet with them and get pictures after, one thing’s for sure, the future of the Boston Bruins is looking brighter every year.

© Ty Anderson for Sports of Boston, 2009. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Bruins, Featured.

The arena’s bone-chillingly cold temperature may have driven fans to their cars for their sweatshirts, but the action on the ice within the little rink in northern Massachusetts keep Bruins fans’ eyes peeled. In the first of four sessions of training camp open to the public, the Boston Bruins rookies showed their skills and continue to develop into Bruins hopefuls at the annual summer camp held at Ristuccia Rink in Wilmington.

Last year, it was Blake Wheeler who captivated the crowd in attendance with his dazzling skating techniques and acceleration, and the year before the buzz was about now Boston-cult-like-icon Milan Lucic. Who’ll be the next name to keep an eye on leaving Wilmington?

Players I had my eyes on were defenseman and Bruins 2009 3rd round pick Ryan Button along with Bemidji State netminder Matt Dalton.

Ryan Button

Throughout the drills, Button showed strong defensive abilities with his stick and defending during the 2 on 1′s. Along with his surely up-to-snuff defensive abilities, Button displayed strong skating skills and balance to make him a player to continue to watch carefully as the camp continues this week.

Matt Dalton

In Boston, the Bruins have 35-year old Vezina-winner Tim Thomas manning the crease and are expected to have The Finnish Flash, also known as Tuukka Rask serving as his back-up for the 2009-10 season. However, with Kevin Regan’s talent poising a question mark to the future of the Bruins in net, GM Peter Chiarelli grabbed Matt Dalton from Bemidji State, who put together a fine season for the Beavers with a 19-11-1 with a 2.19 GAA in their Cinderalla chase for a Frozen Four Championship.

Dalton, in my opinion showed great post to post movement and was going down into the butterfly quickly and effectively. It may be early, but as time passes on, Dalton looked as if he could become more advanced than fellow goaltenders Adam Couchraine and Michael Hutchinson on the Bruins depth chart. Which is by no means a knock to Couchraine or Hutchinson, who both had fine days in between in pipes.

Other Thoughts

Although there was no sign of Boston College Eagle and B’s prospect Tommy Cross on the ice due to a leg injury, the Bruins coaching staff had Yannick Riendeau doing skating drills along with shooting on Adam Couchraine and Matt Dalton without defensemen. Although Riendeau wasn’t being defended against, his wrist shot shows to have some serious snap to it, even with a rehabilitating shoulder.

Two surprises out of today were David Krejci and Milan Lucic. Krejci was test driving a new Porsche following an indoor workout and Lucic was trying his best Houdini impression to get out of the parking lot before anyone noticed it was him.

Day two for the public is tomorrow (Thursday). In a perfect world, I get a better look at Russian defensemen Yuri Alexandrov and the newest Bruin, first round pick Jordan Caron.

© Ty Anderson for Sports of Boston, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments
Filed under: Bruins, Featured.

As is the case every year, the headliners may be off the board for the most part, but for Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli, it’s become about adding depth in the organization in the event of injuries that could strike at any time. On Tuesday, Boston’s producer continued to address this issue by adding two players with NHL experience to the depth chart with the signings of defensemen Drew Fata and goaltender Dany Sabourin.

For many Bruins fans, Dany Sabourin sounds familiar and for good reason. Before a trade sent him to Edmonton where he played a grand total of zero games, Sabourin was backing up Marc-Andre Fleury with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sabourin’s biggest game for Pittsburgh undoubtedly came against Boston in which he held the Bruins to just one goal and stopped 35 pucks as the Pens spoiled the Bruins home-opener with a shoot-out win. He went on to finish with a 6-8-2 record with a 2.85 GAA and .898 SV%. Although Sabourin’s win-loss record may not be what the Bruins look forward to he’s been the victim of just plain rotten luck when you see that in 8 of his total 10 losses when you include overtime the Pens scored just two goals or less.

When having the views of a cynic, the signing of Sabourin could mean two things: one, that Sabourin will mine the pipes in Providence in the AHL, or, two, that Boston is prepared to move Tuukka Rask and rely on Sabourin as a back-up to the five-million dollar man, Tim Thomas.

However, I’m quite sure that this move is create depth at the goaltending position in the event of an injury to the Vezina-winning Thomas or Finnish rookie Rask. I’m a huge fan of this move considering it adds depth to Boston’s chart when you consider guys such as Matt Dalton and Kevin Regan aren’t nearly ready for a call-up to the NHL in the event of an injury, and have zero NHL experience, something Dany Sabourin has, with over 50 games played.

Along with Sabourin, the Bruins also added defensemen Drew Fata. The 25-year-old defensemen is coming off another year in the AHL where he spent the majority of the season with the Binghampton Senators after a trade sent the lefty out of San Antonio. In 71 games with the AHL Sens, Fata tallied 7 goals and 16 points, finishing with a -4 and over 130 minutes in penalties. Fata is expected to be a physical presence on the Providence blue-line and potentially in Boston if injuries strike the Boston blue-line like it has in year’s past.

Fata’s signing could also be an insurance policy in the event that Matt Hunwick does not return to Boston, which at this point, doesn’t seem to be the reason behind his signing.

Although the financial terms of the contracts were not released per Boston Bruins club policy, it’s believed that both players will be making NHL minimum and both contracts are one-year deals. With over four million dollars left in cap space, the next guy in line for a contract appears to be Matt Hunwick, who went to salary arbitration on Sunday with Boston.

To close out, here’s an entertaining highlight of Fata drilling Keith Aucoin in head, found by Stanley Cup of Chowder:

© Ty Anderson for Sports of Boston, 2009. | Permalink | One comment
Filed under: Bruins, Featured.

At the conclusion of the NHL Awards Ceremony in Las Vegas, the 2008-09 season was officially over. After the Bruins took home the Jack Adams, Vezina, Norris, and Jennings Trophies, it’s now back to work for General Manager Peter Chiarelli.

With the signing of the David Krejci to a three-year deal worth a total of over $11 million already taken care of, the Bruins next priority has undoubtedly become fellow restricted free agent Phil Kessel. Despite the strong showing by Kessel in 2008-09, is the 22-year-old truly worthy of his asking price of $5 million a season?

Potential. That’s all Bruins fans ever heard about Phil Kessel. He has the potential to score 40 goals, he has the potential to take over the pace of play and score. Fact was, in his first two years in the Hub of Hockey, we never saw that potential show up for 60 minutes. In fact, Bruins fans never saw anything beyond bits and pieces of Kessel’s talent in that stretch. His rookie season proved to be trying for the former University of Minnesota star as he was sidelined for 12 games due to requiring treatment for testicular cancer. Kessel earned a ‘pass’ due to his age and injury, and Bruins fans turned to next season as Kessel’s year.

The 2007-08 season was much of the same for Kessel, whose defensive game and inconsistent play frustrated fans, along with Bruins coach Claude Julien. By February, rumors over the internet, radio and television ran rampant that Phil Kessel was on the verge of being traded to the Atlanta Thrashers in a package to obtain Marian Hossa. At the end of the day, Kessel wasn’t dealt by the Bruins and they decided to hold on to the winger in hopes of him turning his play around. The struggles of Kessel continued and led to a playoff benching. As Phil The Thrill watched Game’s 3 and 4 against Montreal in Boston from the 9th level of the TD Banknorth Garden, a fire grew in No. 81’s heart and when he was put back in the line-up for Game 5, he wanted to show everyone what he really had in him.

Although the Bruins were eliminated in seven games by the Montreal Canadiens, Phil Kessel’s performance in Games 5, 6 and 7 spoke for itself. His three goals, including two key goals in what’s considered the greatest hockey game at the new Garden during Game 6 showed a different side of Phil: a more hungry side. The big question now was whether or not he’d carry this momentum into the 2008-09 campaign.

Kessel started off the new season with a bang, scoring six goals in the Bruins first six games of the season. Playing along with Marc Savard and Milan Lucic proved to be just what Kessel needed as he exploded for 36 goals in the Bruins’ overwhelmingly strong regular season, including five multi-goal games capped off with a hat trick against the New York Islanders. Kessel continued his strong play into the Bruins quest for their first Stanley Cup in 37 years. His six goals and 11 points in the playoffs put him at second on the team.

In the days following the Bruins’ exit out of the playoffs, it was revealed that Kessel had been playing through the final month of the regular season and through the entire playoffs with a torn rotator cuff and a torn hip labrum. The perseverance of Kessel and his unwillingness to miss any time due to the injury gave even Kessel’s harshest critics a new found respect for his play. With his stock sure to have gone up due in large part to his playoff performance, the Bruins seemed eager to get a deal done with Kessel as they did with Krejci.

However, the rumored asking price of $5 million a season to lock up the 22-year-old is proving that getting a deal done is harder than originally anticipated. Looking at the numbers Kessel posted this year, it’s reasonable that he would want a bump upwards from his current $2.2 million salary. Also, Kessel’s 36 goals put him among the league leaders and looking at the names surrounding him the average salary becomes $4.9 million a season. Unfortunately, that is a number the Bruins simply cannot match.

As of right now, the Bruins have a solid crop of right wingers, notably Michael Ryder, Chuck Kobasew, Blake Wheeler, and Byron Bitz. There’s no questioning the fact that these players are not of the same skill level of Phil Kessel, no matter how much we want to believe it. With this year’s draft looking to be the best one since 1999, it may be the perfect time to move Kessel to land a top 10 pick in this year’s draft.

I’m ready for the uproar. It’ll be another case of the Bruins trading away a stud player because he wants big money, right? Wrong. There are several reasons as to why Kessel’s simply not worthy of $5 million a season at this point. For one, look who he played with this year. Centering his line, he had Marc Savard, arguably the NHL’s best playmaking center.

Now let’s say Savard leaves Boston when his contract expires after this upcoming season. In previous seasons, Kessel’s highest amount of goals scored was just 19. Now I’m not suggesting that Savard’s made Kessel the player he is, but if Savard is to leave for greener pastures after this season and Kessel’s production slips, you’re stuck in a Glen Murray-like situation where you’re paying big money for a guy who could only produce when he had a big time No. 1 center playing with him.

Another reason why the Bruins are to be wary to commit be money to Kessel is his inconsistency. As previously mentioned, Kessel had five multi-goal games this season, but he also had two spurts where he went goal-less for five games and had a seemingly never ending 15-game stretch without a goal. Bruins fans understand that he’s still young and will go through his struggles, but struggles such as the ones mentioned will not get you a pass for “being young” when you’re the highest paid forward on the roster.

Besides Kessel, the Bruins have to lock-up restricted free agents Matt Hunwick and Byron Bitz. With Bitz and Hunwick due for slight raises, a number of cap issues begin to face the B’s. With 2010’s list of restricted free agents including Milan Lucic, Blake Wheeler, Tuukka Rask, Mark Stuart, and Vlad Sobotka, there’s just no conceivable way that the Bruins can re-sign Kessel for $5 million.

When it boils down to it, Kessel’s motivation is questioned, and for good reason. A fact often unknown to most casual hockey fans is that Kessel was once the favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 draft, but attitude and motivation issues dropped his stock down and into the Bruins hands. How can the Bruins brass be sold that the Phil Kessel we saw and loved in 2008-09 was real? He was in a contract year, and was playing for the big pay day (which he wants now).

In a perfect world, Phil Kessel understands the rough economic climate along with the Boston Bruins salary cap woes and takes a $3.5-3.75 million deal per season for the next three years to remain in Boston. However, Kessel understands his worth in the market and wants his payday now, not in three years. In my honest opinion, this puts the Bruins in the spot to shop the 22-year-old if he’s not willing to budge on the dollar amount. With the NHL Draft starting Friday, the issue of the future of Phil Kessel with the Boston Bruins will be addressed head on.

© Ty Anderson for Sports of Boston, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments
Filed under: Bruins, Featured.