Feeling of change in the air

By yesterday afternoon, every nameplate in the home dressing room at TD Banknorth Garden had been removed.

Bags were packed, framed pictures of the 2006-07 Bruins were propped at every locker, and the players, dressed in casual threads instead of their uniforms or suits, milled in and out, doing exit interviews and relaxing in the lounge.

It was Breakup Day, an occasion that has taken place too early on the calendar for too many seasons to remember.

"Lot of stuff," said P.J. Axelsson of the reasons why the Bruins ended the season with 76 points, in fifth place in the Northeast Division, 13th in the Eastern Conference, and out of the playoffs. "The penalty-killing at the beginning of the year. In five-on-five play, we weren't good enough. We gave up way too many goals. Our defense was not good enough. It was tough."

With offseason destinations ranging from Seattle (Jeremy Reich) to Tanzania (Andrew Ference), the Bruins cleaned out their lockers, with several perhaps saying their final good-byes to teammates.

There are six unrestricted free agents (Reich, Bobby Allen, Jeff Hoggan, Joey MacDonald, Petr Tenkrat, and Jason York) whose 2007-08 plans may not lie with the Bruins, although general manager Peter Chiarelli said he knows which UFAs-to-be he would like back.

Marco Sturm, locked up for four more years, acknowledged that because of the team's finish, offseason alterations are inevitable.

"There'll probably be some changes," said the left wing. "They'll probably sit down and think about how we need some fresh guys. I don't know how big it's going to be."

But because of long-term contracts, lack of cap space, and an unwillingness to make yet another round of earth-rattling changes, the 2007-08 Bruins will feature a good chunk of the 35-win 2006-07 club.

Which might not be a bad thing, according to Chiarelli.

"I'm happy with where we've progressed on the learning curve," said Chiarelli. "We mentioned all these changes, offseason and then during the season. I'm satisfied in the direction we're going in as far as the players getting to know each other and getting the trust factor. You can't just throw that away.

"Having said that, there will be some changes. We have to be very specific. But there won't be any wide, sweeping changes."

As Chiarelli and coach Dave Lewis saw it, there were three layers to the 2006-07 team. First, the roster that carried over from last year, including Axelsson, Glen Murray, Patrice Bergeron, Andrew Alberts, and Tim Thomas. Second, there was the chunk of offseason signings such as Zdeno Chara, Marc Savard, and Shean Donovan. Third, there was the influx of midseason pickups that included Ference, Aaron Ward, Dennis Wideman, and Brandon Bochenski.

Put together, it was a lot of churn -- albeit expected for an organization undergoing a makeover -- to handle.

"Lot of turnover," said Murray, who revealed that he had a small groin tear that knocked him out for the last 16 games. "Obviously with what's going on, there's going to be a little more turnover with the new cap. But it's tough to build good team chemistry with guys coming in and out every year."

There are several shortcomings the Bruins must address. During their 1-10-1 season-ending slide, the Bruins scored only 17 goals, signaling a need for another sniper and greater grit from players who must go into corners and in front of the net. Their power play, once as high as fourth in the league, finished the season with the 19th-best efficiency rate (17.2 percent), while they gave up an NHL-worst 18 shorthanded goals.

But Chiarelli said the one critical area that needs improvement is defense. The Bruins surrendered 289 goals, more than every team in the league except the Philadelphia Flyers (303).

The obvious route would be a goaltending upgrade -- Anaheim's Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Minnesota's Niklas Backstrom will both be UFAs, while Chiarelli said the Bruins will re-sign restricted free agent Hannu Toivonen and tie up prospect Tuukka Rask -- but a reduction in goals-against will also demand a better season from Chara, signed to be the surly thumper he was in Ottawa.

He showed dominance in spurts, but overall, Chara was a disappointment, recording a minus-21 rating and zero fights in a season in which he asked too much of himself and got far from what the Bruins expected.

"He definitely wants to play his old game," said Chiarelli.

"And trust me," interjected Lewis, "you'll like his old game."

As the younger Bruins waited for their meetings, veterans like Ward left the dressing room. He had a bag draped over one arm and a bundle of sticks in another.

On the last day of the year, even the big boys have to carry their own bags out of the rink.

Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at FShinzawa@globe.com.