Bruins, agent aren't in synch

Despite a report yesterday on a Swedish hockey website, the Bruins aren't planning to see Carl Soderberg, their top European prospect, here in Boston when training camp opens Sept. 19.

"News to me," said general manager Peter Chiarelli, when asked about the report on hockeysverige.se that quoted Soderberg's agent, Claes Elefalk, saying the 22-year-old center still planned to come to Boston. "I talked to Soderberg [approximately] 10 days ago, and he told me he's not coming. Just after I talked to him, I talked to Claes, and it seemed we all understood the situation: The kid wants to play another year over there, and we're fine with that."

Chiarelli said he spoke yesterday with agent J.P. Barry, Elefalk's partner in North America, and Barry was unaware of any change in Soderberg's plans. Barry, according to Chiarelli, said Elefalk was traveling in Spain and could not be reached immediately. Chiarelli said he left voice mail and email messages for Elefalk, but as of late yesterday afternoon, Elefalk had not responded.

"Right now, nothing's changed; I don't think he's coming over," said Chiarelli. "Who knows, maybe he's changed his mind, but we've had no indication of it."

The website story was in response to a story that quoted Chiarelli in Sunday's Globe.

Former Bruins defenseman Michael Thelven, reached by email in Sweden yesterday morning, supplied a translation of the hockeysverige.se story, which had Elefalk saying that Soderberg planned to report to Bruins camp. Peo Larsson, GM of Soderberg's Swedish team, the Malmo Redhawks, also said he didn't understand why Chiarelli felt Soderberg would not attempt to make the Boston team for the upcoming season.

"So it seems all the fans of the Malmo Redhawks," noted the report, as translated by Thelven, "have to wait a little bit longer for further news on where Carl Soderberg will play next season."

Thelven, 47, is CEO of Temperature Sensitive Solutions in Taby, Sweden.

According to Chiarelli, he went so far as to explain to Soderberg that the Bruins would formally suspend him, a pro forma move enabling them to toll Soderberg's contract ahead one more year. By suspending him for the final year on his contract, Soderberg would be obligated to play for the Bruins in 2009-10 should he choose to play in North America.

"I had a long talk with him, and we covered the suspension issue, and he was fine with it," said Chiarelli. "He wants to stay over there this year, he said, and I have no problem with that.

"I don't know what to make of the report. I can only guess at this point that maybe something's been lost in translation."

When he spoke with Soderberg, said Chiarelli, the 6-foot-3-inch, 200-pound pivot said he wanted to develop his game one more year in Europe. Prior to coming to Boston last summer in the Hannu Toivonen swap with St. Louis, Soderberg sustained a serious eye injury, and it wasn't until the playoffs last spring that his confidence blossomed.

"The biggest thing he told me when we talked was that, when he gets here, he wants to be a contributing player," said Chiarelli. "That can also mean, like a lot of Europeans, that he doesn't want to spend time in the AHL. We know he has the talent level to play in the NHL, but he still has to show that he's got the gumption to play over here."

Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at dupont@globe.com.