O'Connell's contention: Bruins will have a shot

When asked if the Bruins' roster heading into training camp -- which opens for rookies this morning and veterans on Monday -- is as strong as the one that finished second in the Eastern Conference in 2003-04, general manager Mike O'Connell didn't equivocate.

''Oh yes, definitely," he said. ''We know more about the players. We didn't know what we had in [goalie Andrew] Raycroft, we didn't know what we had in [then-rookie Patrice] Bergeron. We didn't have a real second-line center."

One glitch in the GM's optimism is the fact that Raycroft and defenseman Nick Boynton, both restricted free agents, remain unsigned. However, O'Connell feels the team's current personnel -- coupled with the expectation that both Raycroft and Boynton will be back -- will be more than adequate to be highly competitive in a league that is emphasizing division rivalries. The players agree.

''I think we're going to be a legit contender," said Glen Murray. ''On paper, we look really good, but that's only on paper.

''I guess you've got to do it out on the ice. By losing Mike Knuble [to free agency], we lost a big part of our team and a big part of the line I played with. He is a good guy in the dressing room and Philly is getting a quality guy."

The Bruins also lost veteran defenseman Sean O'Donnell, who signed with Phoenix; right wing Martin Lapointe, who agreed to terms with Chicago; center/wing Brian Rolston, who signed with Minnesota; and blue liner Sergei Gonchar, who is now a Penguin. O'Connell said he believes the major holes have been plugged.

''Lapointe plays similar to [free agent acquisition Dave] Scatchard," O'Connell said. ''With [the loss of] O'Donnell, we'll see what happens, but some of these young kids we're talking about, we're going to be fine."

As for losing Knuble, who scored 21 goals in 2003-04 playing alongside Joe Thornton and Murray, O'Connell said he expects others to emerge the same way Knuble did.

''You're going to get Bergeron [playing] a little bit more, you are going to get Brad Isbister, who has scored over 20 goals, [Sergei] Samsonov is hopefully healthy through the whole year because you know you're going to get a great year out of him. I feel very good about the team."

Brian Leetch should fill the void left by Gonchar and the Bruins have added talented center Alexei Zhamnov and veteran forward Tom Fitzgerald.

One area where the team appears suspect is at right wing, but O'Connell said that can be addressed by those already under contract.

''I don't know if we are [weak]," he said. ''Bergeron can play right wing. Shawn McEachern can play right wing. I think our forward positions will be fine. We'll be deep enough. We'll have enough depth at the forward position to have a very good team offensively."

O'Connell also believes the Bruins have a healthy mix of talent and grit.

''The new rules [will dictate] what's going to be successful and what isn't," he said. ''Are you going to have to fight through the gauntlet to get to the net now? I don't think so. Are you going to have to have speed and skill and finesse to get there? I think you're going to need more of that. I really don't know how it's going to play out, what's going to be effective in front of the net or getting to the front of the net. I don't know."

On defense, the Bruins have Leetch, Hal Gill, Ian Moran, Jiri Slegr, and Milan Jurcina. And, if his comeback is successful, Jonathan Girard, who nearly lost his life in an auto accident in July 2003. Management is also high on rookie defensemen Andrew Alberts and Mark Stuart.

''We'll see how it all plays out," said O'Connell. ''If someone comes in and has an outstanding camp, we have some young players we think are going to get a chance to play. We're probably going to carry seven or eight defensemen. Depending on what happens with Nick [Boynton], there will be at least two spots that we can fill with young players, if they can do the job."

Murray believes the new rules, designed to eliminate obstruction, will favor the Bruins.

''Hopefully, they really mean zero tolerance for the hooking and holding," said Murray. ''Personally, I think 10 or 15 games into the season you're going to see a lot of breakaways. The [defensemen] aren't that smart anyway sometimes, so they'll be way up by center ice and by the time they realize we're getting more room with the two-line passes, it'll be trapped up again."

The NHL has given a DVD to teams to illustrate the new rules.

''It's basically that they're going to call the rule book," said O'Connell. ''You can't hook, you can't hold, you can't cross-check, you can't slash. As long as you don't do those things, you're fine. The DVD describes [the new rules] and we're going to really charge our players to learn as quickly as possible that you can't use your stick, you can't be holding, it's body position and crowding people. It's going to be an interesting few months."

Another challenge will be getting the fans excited again after a year without the NHL, and with competition from the defending champion Red Sox and Patriots.

''I think the true fans will come out," said Murray. ''It's the casual fans who might take a little while. But the true fans will always come out and watch the game. They miss it just as much as the players miss it. For a championship city, it's pretty tough because the Red Sox [are champions] and the Patriots won [three of the last four Super Bowls], and maybe it's our turn."

The Bruins yesterday signed four players -- 23-year-old right wing Colton Orr, 20-year-old center Tyler Redenbach, and left wings Pat Leahy, 26, and Jeremy Reich, 26. Orr, Leahy, and Reich signed one-year contracts and Redenbach inked a three-year pact. Orr enters his third full season in the Boston organization and Leahy begins his fourth. Both played in Providence last year. Redenbach, who played in the Western Hockey League for three teams over the last four years, was drafted by Phoenix but never signed, which made him an unrestricted free agent this summer. Reich was drafted by Chicago but played the last five seasons in the Blue Jackets' organization. Last year, he suited up for Syracuse and Houston of the American Hockey League.