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GLEN MURRAY A playoff shutout |
Kevin Paul Dupont | Hockey notes
A time to build, not rebuild
There are two main items on Bruins' offseason list
How nice to get a little bit of our hockey heart and soul back. The wait has been long, sometimes torturous, downright frustrating, even humiliating - especially in a city where championships, once the stuff of fantasy, now are expected to flow like tap water (the Fenway folk no doubt soon will market a fancy, logo-embossed $999 filter for every kitchen faucet in the Nation).
For the better part of a fortnight, the Bruins shimmied their way back up the totem pole of our emotions, and allowed the few remaining hockey loyalists in town to stop apologizing for the sport they love, as if pledging allegiance to a puck were a form of sports Satanism. No one has been lonelier or more ostracized in this town than hockey fans, especially Bruins fans, who for the last 15 years have mothballed their spoked-B T-shirts and given up extolling the thrills and virtues of the good ol' days.
Now, what about the follow-up act on Causeway Street? Will the 2007-08 season, and one thrilling seven-game playoff set vs. the Canadiens be the mainspring of a bona fide Hub of Hockey revival?
No matter what you are hearing, or how you are feeling, there truly is no knowing. Proof: the postseason exploits of the Ducks and Senators, and while we're at it, let's look at the Hurricanes.
The Ducks won the Stanley Cup last spring, only to be shooed out in the first round this spring by Dallas. The Senators, last year's Cup co-finalists, were easily dismissed by the Penguins. The same thing happened in 2006, when the standing Cup finalists, Tampa Bay and Calgary, both were KO'd in Round 1.
The Hurricanes, who won the Cup in 2006, failed to reach the playoffs this spring for the second year in a row (leaving coach Peter Laviolette possibly headed to the unemployment line).
"All you can hope now," said Bruins coach Claude Julien, remarking on his squad's resilience and success, "is that you can carry that into next year."
That said, the roster will change, and perhaps dramatically. Two main issues must be resolved, first if the Bruins hope to return to the playoffs next April, and second if they realistically can aspire to becoming a legitimate Cup contender.
Issue No. 1: Size up front and scoring.
As a group, the forwards were too small and too challenged at doing what they're supposed to do - put the puck in the net. Sounds simple, but in protracted stretches they were simply inept, or unwilling to pay the price it takes to bring the puck to the net.
Issue No. 2: Puck-moving defenseman.
Mistake-prone Dennis Wideman made some big strides in the puck-lugging department, but wow, the glitter too often turned out to be fool's gold. Some of the problem the forwards had scoring was based on a weak transition game that too often made the Bruins a predictable, ineffective, dump-and-chase squad.
Chiarelli can look for answers in free agency, where fixes are few and pricey, or he can hope to wheel and deal. The bet here: He will be far more active around the June 20-21 draft in Ottawa than he will be around the July 1 start of free agency.
If the cap figure were to reach $55 million, and Murray were taken off the books, Chiarelli should have a good $15 million-$17 million to do business with this summer. All in all, for the first time, Chiarelli will work in an atmosphere of high optimism and reasonable financial elbow room.
A year ago, he made the necessary coaching fix. Now we find out, headed into his third season, whether he truly has the eye for talent and maneuvering skills to turn a short-term buzz into a renewed, long-term love affair.
Worlds may have to wait
If Team Canada comes calling for the upcoming World Championships, Patrice Bergeron says he isn't sure what to tell his mother country. He wants to get back to playing, and was convinced he could have played at least a portion of Round 1 vs. the Canadiens, but he continues to place his ultimate trust in the Bruins' team doctors."I know they have my best interests at heart," said the 22-year-old center, now six months into his recovery from the Grade 3 concussion he sustained when drilled into boards by the Flyers' Randy Jones. "They've been great with me the whole time."
Bergeron, still some 6-8 pounds below his ideal playing weight of 195, had not been contacted by the Canadians as the weekend began. Had the Bruins made it to Round 2, he figures he would have played.
"I doubt that I'd get the call," he said. "There are so many Canadian players, and they're guys who played the whole year, but if I got the call, I'd think about it. I can't wait to play hockey, play in games, and it's always an honor to play for your country."
The Bruins, who will pay Bergeron $15.75 million over the next three years, would have to sign off on Bergeron playing for Canada, and general manager Peter Chiarelli sounded adamantly against the idea.
"I'd discuss it first with Bergy, of course," said Chiarelli. "But I don't think it would be prudent after waiting this long."
Upon packing up his gear at the Garden last week, Bergeron said he figured he would stick around Boston for a couple of weeks before going home to Quebec City (one of the host cities for the Worlds).
"Usually, I'd start working out in mid-July, but this year I'll probably start earlier than that," he said. "I don't feel like stopping at all now. I don't want a break. I'm ready to go."
Chiarelli is tuned into Fabian
Whither Fabian Brunnstrom? Possibly here in Black and Gold. And possibly soon.Brunnstrom, the highly sought free agent winger from Sweden, was a lock to join the Canucks, with reports rampant throughout Canada earlier this month that agent J.P. Barry was on the verge of executing a deal in Vancouver.
However, when the Canucks fired Dave Nonis as general manager two weeks ago, the Brunnstrom hunt reopened. Boston GM Peter Chiarelli said prior to the weekend that he felt confident the Bruins are on Brunnstrom's short list.
"From what I understand, in talking with J.P., that list has included about 4-5 teams," said Chiarelli, acknowledging the Canadian-based accounts that had Vancouver no longer in contention. "Our feeling is, we're very much back in the mix, and we'd like to get it done."
Brunnstrom, 23, reminds Chiarelli somewhat of a Tomas Holmstrom-Daniel Alfredsson hybrid, at 6 feet 2 inches and 210 pounds.
"Big body," said Chiarelli, "and strong on the puck."
Brunnstrom, because he has a 1985 birthdate (Feb. 6), is eligible to sign a two-year entry-level deal, a year shorter than the conventional ELS contracts. That would peg his base pay near $900,000 per year, and if his incentives were similar to those of, say, Phil Kessel, he could crack the $2 million-a-year plateau.
In 54 games with Farjestads this season, Brunnstrom collected 9 goals and totaled 37 points. A lefthanded shot, he has a skill set that many scouts believe project as a top six forward in the NHL.
Brunnstrom, also being courted by the Maple Leafs, wants to join a club that he can play for immediately - one of the reasons most everyone is ruling out the Red Wings.
"Toronto is, how do you call it, the hockey Mecca," Brunnstrom told the Toronto Sun last week. "I know all the things that Mats Sundin has done there. I'm still considering my options, but if I [commit to the NHL], I don't want to go back [to Sweden]."
Etc.
Think fast
Proud Serb Milan Lucic, back in Vancouver today and celebrating Christian Orthodox Easter with his family, plans to make two or three visits to Boston this summer to train under John Whitesides, the club's strength and conditioning coach. His No. 1 priority? "Speed," said the 19-year-old Lucic, who had a sensational rookie season. "I definitely want to get faster. And I don't think I need to get any heavier." Lucic, 6 feet 4 inches and 235 pounds, wants to improve most on his first-step quickness. Should not be a problem, said Whitesides. Lucic finished the regular season with 8 goals and 27 points, then went 2-0 -2 in the playoffs. "Hey, a couple of bounces, and we would be in Pittsburgh right now," said Lucic. "When it came to an end, it was a bitter pill to swallow, shaking all [the Canadiens] hands."Spinning his wheels
Bruins coach Claude Julien, upon wrapping up one-on-one player meetings at the Garden Wednesday, headed straight for a local bicycle shop (a Don Sweeney tout) with the intention of buying a new set of wheels for the summer. "Every year it's the same," said Julien, lamenting that he allowed his road work to slip during the season. "I promise myself that I'll get out there more, but then when training camp hits, it's hard to stick with it." Julien plans to be a regular on the local roads and trails over the next few months, saying that his wife loves it here and they'll likely spend most of their offseason around Boston. GM Peter Chiarelli confirmed for the first time that Julien is on a "long-term" contract with the Bruins. "Wish it was longer," said Julien, flashing a wide smile at the podium when Chiarelli revealed his contract status. Chiarelli also said all the assistant coaches will return for 2008-09.
No bears for this Bruin
Bruins goalie Tim Thomas, who decided Wednesday to accept an invite to join Team USA for the World Championships, decided months ago not to indulge in his offseason passion of bear hunting with bow and arrow. Timing, said the backstop, didn't allow it. The hunts are traditionally in May, he said, and they must be booked six months in advance. For an NHLer to book one would mean presupposing not playing deep into the playoffs. "Not where you want to be, mentally," said Thomas.Burning question for Flames
Game 7 of the Flames-Sharks series had Calgary coach Mike Keenan giving the hook to Miikka Kiprusoff in the second period when San Jose made it 4-2. Easy to understand the move, because the entire Flames squad looked dead on double-runners. Far more shocking was that Iron Mike called out only Kiprusoff when naming the guilty following the series loss. No doubt, Kiprusoff came to camp a bit out of shape, and at times seemed indifferent this season, but the Flames were alternately great and atrocious in a series they should have won. GM Darryl Sutter now has to find a bona fide No. 1 center to dish to franchise face Jarome Iginla, and he also has to decide if his franchise goalie (six years to go on his deal) can live with Keenan (two years to go).Loose pucks
I continue to find it unfathomable that winning brings out the worst in people. Witness the mayhem in Montreal after the Canadiens dumped the Bruins last Monday night. What happens if Les Glorieux now dump the Flyers as entry to the conference championship? Not that the team is the least bit culpable, but it only take a few nitwits to detract from an organization and a city that have otherwise turned the entire hockey experience into a near work of art . . . Former Bruins winger Mike "Dobie" Gillis was named GM of the Canucks, taking over for the deposed Dave Nonis . . . Garden officials report that season ticket sales on Tuesday, the day following the club's elimination in Game 7 of the Habs series, was the best single-day sale they have had in years . . . Veteran Philadelphia Inquirer scribe Tim Panaccio, in his account of Montreal's OT win over the Flyers in Game 1 Thursday night: "A high-stick goal by Montreal's Alex Kovalev in the second period and a dubious kneeing call on Mike Richards late in the game resulted in two Canadiens goals as the officials basically handed the game to Montreal." And the wheels on the bus go round and round . . .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.
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