Young Bruins see few spots before their eyes

Training camp is only a month away (Sept. 19), and there appears to be very little wiggle room on the Bruins roster for an all-but-unknown kid or two to walk out of camp wearing a Spoked B.

"That's true," said general manager Peter Chiarelli, scrolling through his roster as the weekend began. "But I've told all of our younger guys the same thing: If they can make our team, I'll find room for them."

Realistically, the short list of bubble guys includes forwards Nate Thompson, Martins Karsums, and Blake Wheeler, as well as defensemen Matt Lashoff and Matt Hunwick. Tuukka Rask, pegged for a second year as Providence's No. 1 goaltender, can make himself a part of the Boston roster discussion, too, but with a healthy Manny Fernandez (back from knee surgery) and Tim Thomas in residence, it's a virtual given that the Finnish phenom will have to while away at least one more season in the AHL.

The Bruins were hopeful that Carl Soderberg, whom they obtained in last summer's swap with St. Louis for Hannu Toivonen, also would be part of the forward mix. But the 6-foot-3-inch, 200-pound center notified Chiarelli some 10 days ago that he has opted to remain in Sweden for one more season. A few months earlier, Soderberg said he would be here in September, and was willing to assume the risk that he could be assigned to Providence.

"It's disappointing, but we had a good talk," said Chiarelli. "At least he was persuasive in what he said - he doesn't want to come to North America and be a marginal player. 'When I get there, I want to contribute,' is what he told me.

"And, hey, the fact is, he is only 22 - the age of maybe a college senior - and it wasn't until the playoffs over there last year that he really had his game going. He wants that one more year over there."

Vladimir Sobotka and David Krejci, two forwards who showed impressive flashes with Boston late in the second half last season, will enter training camp with a decided edge in remaining with the varsity.

"Sure, they've probably got an inside track," noted Chiarelli. "But on the same hand, I don't want to make anyone any promises. If they take anything for granted, they won't be there."

Truth is, for Thompson, Karsums, or Wheeler to land a job, they'll have to outwork and outplay the two former Baby B's in camp and the exhibition season.

Wheeler, the No. 5 pick by Phoenix in the 2004 draft, took advantage of a CBA loophole that allowed him to become a free agent and signed with Boston in July. According to his agent, Matt Keator, the 6-4 winger has spent the summer skating at the University of Minnesota, with an emphasis on improving his shot.

"He's been skating like crazy, and shooting a ton of pucks," said Keator. "He's a college kid, and he'll need time and experience, and that's something both sides were clear about when he signed. It's the pro game, and he'll have to get used to using his body more, and developing a better shot. But he'll get there."

Hunwick (13 games) and Lashoff (18 games) had brief looks with Boston last season, and both showed they have NHL skill sets. The question for them right now is overall readiness, and specifically composure when handling the puck under pressure. Boston's weakness headed into the season is its defensive corps, especially when it comes to advancing the puck from the back end and up through the neutral zone.

If either Hunwick or Lashoff arrives in training camp with a more polished game, they could put some real pressure on returnees Andrew Ference, Shane Hnidy, and Andrew Alberts, all of whom have their strengths, but all of whom remain vulnerable if someone shows up with faster, slicker hands. As in the wild West, the faster hand always wins.

This Boston prospect has a lot on his plate
Joe Colborne, the Bruins' top pick in the June draft, has already posted some impressive numbers this summer.

"I'm happy to say, for the first time in my life, I'm over 200 pounds," said Colborne, reached late last week while he was in the midst of wrapping up a family vacation in British Columbia. "Pretty neat, and I feel a lot stronger."

Colborne's weight gain has been managed through workouts and a high-protein diet. He is some 10 pounds heavier than when he reported to the Wilmington development camp at the start of July, and 10-12 pounds heavier than when he began his final year of junior hockey last fall. Ideally, he says, he'll be around 220 when he launches his NHL career (perhaps as early as 2009-10).

"You look at some of the bigger guys now, like [Joe ] Thornton and [Vinny] Lecavalier, they're both pretty thick," he said. "But when they were 18 years old, they weren't all that thick. Now they're up around 220-230. That's where I'd like to be, eventually, and maybe 205 by the time this season starts."

Colborne will be front and center in the University of Denver lineup for 2008-09. He will return to his home in Calgary this week, continue workouts with an assortment of NHLers (Rhett Warrener and Cory Sarich among them) and fly to Denver Aug. 31 to begin school. Practices begin almost immediately, as do classes. His courses will include US history, calculus, English, and one or two on finance.

He also plans to be inside the Pepsi Center the night of Oct. 9 when the Bruins kick off their 2008-09 campaign against the Colorado Avalanche.

"Yeah, how crazy is that?" said Colborne. "Hopefully, I'll be there to watch the guys get their first win of the year."

By the numbers
New Bruin Michael Ryder (below) will wear No. 73. The Bruins, past and present, above that "Ryder Line."

74 - Paul Coffey

75 - Hal Gill, Colton Orr

76 - Dennis Bonvie, Kris Vernarsky

77 - Ray Bourque

81 - Phil Kessel

83 - Pat Leahy

89 - Zdenek Blatny

91 - Marc Savard

92 - Michael Nylander

Speak up
"If I'm under 110, that's a good round for me. I'm not too serious about golf."
Bruins winger Milan Lucic, reached by phone last week while making a putt during a charity golf tournament in his hometown of Vancouver.

The List
Darcy Tucker finished atop the buyout money list this summer, the Maple Leafs buying out the veteran at a price of $5 million, payable over the next five years. A look at some of this summer's bittersweet partings:

Etc.
New ice? Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington again will serve as the Bruins' base of off-day operations in 2008-09, but rumors persist, as they have for more than a decade, that the team will seek a swankier training facility. "Everyone in Wilmington has been great to us, and very flexible, too, and we appreciate that," said general manager Peter Chiarelli. "But we continue to talk about a lot of things, including a possible restructuring with Wilmington. So much of this now has to do with recruiting, not just with UFAs, but your own players, too." By today's NHL standards, Ristuccia is spartan, chillier than the top of Mount Washington, and offers only one sheet of ice.

Too much, too late: Word around the NHL last week was that Bryan McCabe, no longer wanted behind the Maple Leafs blue line, tendered Toronto management a list of five clubs, including Boston, to which he would accept a trade. Chances of McCabe wearing Black and Gold: zero. Had he warmed up to the idea of leaving weeks ago, the Bruins might have offered Glen Murray and Peter Schaefer to the Leafs, and GM Cliff Fletcher could have been enticed - dishing away McCabe's $14.45 million in salary for $8.75 million in Murray and Schaefer. Way too late for that now. Look for the Leafs and Panthers to finalize a deal once McCabe has pocketed the $2 million bonus the Leafs owe him.

It's his move: No word yet on whether Mats Sundin will return to the NHL for another year or two. The Canucks still have a two-year, $20 million offer on the table, and both the Canadiens and Leafs have salary room to accommodate the big pivot. Meanwhile, a few free agents, such as Mark Parrish (bought out by Minnesota) and Ladislav Nagy (not asked back by Los Angeles), are left waiting for Sundin's decision before clubs reopen their search for talent. The Ducks have yet to move slick defenseman Mathieu Schneider (due $5.75 million this season), which also could be part of the logjam Sundin has created.

Iceberg, right ahead: Newfoundland, home to newest Bruin Michael Ryder, isn't looking only to oil exploration to reignite its crumbled economy. A local company has taken to harvesting icebergs, as they make their way down from Greenland, and turning them into bottled water. The humongous chunks of frozen nature are also harvested to make vodka. Only a matter of time before Russian trawlers try to muscle in on that action, no? Na zdorovie.

Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at dupont@globe.com; material from personal interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.