Bruins notebook

It could pay to stand pat for now

Shanahan might not be an ideal fit

By Kevin Paul Dupont

Globe Staff / January 6, 2009

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WILMINGTON - A lot of money remains on the sidelines these days for the Bruins. Marco Sturm, on the books for $3.5 million a year, will have knee surgery this week, the timeline unknown for his return. Patrice Bergeron's cap number is $4.75 million, and he is now two-plus weeks beyond another concussion, his second in 14 months.

As of today, no one knows whether either will be back in uniform for the second half of the season, or the postseason.

What is Peter Chiarelli to do? Is the time at hand for the third-year general manager, with what amounts to $8.25 million in shopping money, to dress up his roster by adding a veteran free agent for what appears to be a legitimate run at a Cup?

Truth is, it's not that easy. Chiarelli said yesterday that if it were determined, say, this week or next that neither Sturm nor Bergeron could make it back before the playoffs, bringing in another high salary now could prevent him from making moves around the March 4 trade deadline.

"Let's say there are more injuries come the deadline," Chiarelli mused. "There's the chance, with the 22- or 23-man roster, if you've replaced their salaries, then you've got no money left."

Another factor is that virtually all free agents worth having were under contract some 60-90 days prior to the season.

Superstar pivot Mats Sundin, signed only last month by Vancouver, was the rarest of exceptions. On the sidelines by his choosing, the 37-year-old Sundin picked up a $4 million signing bonus from the Canucks, and will earn another $1.6 million prior to the playoffs. Given that he'll be able to play only half the season, that's the equivalent of an $11.2 million deal (in a league that today allows no one to make more than $11.34 million, based on the $56.7 million cap figure).

Brendan Shanahan, who will celebrate his 40th birthday Jan. 23, still remains without an NHL home address. The veteran winger likely could still help a lot of teams. However, the Bruins have been very successful this year in part because they opted to dish unproven kids (Blake Wheeler and Matt Hunwick among them) large dollops of playing time. If Shanahan signs somewhere, he'll no doubt want to be brought aboard as a key performer, not a bit player. Odd as it might sound, he might be a difficult fit these days for the Black and Gold.

Drill sergeant

Claude Julien, some 48 hours after his squad had its 10-game winning streak snapped in a 4-2 loss to the Sabres Saturday, was a very verbal customer at yesterday morning's workout. Over the course of the hour-plus practice, he came through loud and clear, with an emphasis on the loud.

"Can you guys hear me from up here?" said Julien, addressing the media after the workout, noting that his on-ice orders normally don't penetrate the walls of the press box. "That's not good."

During the drills, the oft-irritated coach emphasized the need for his charges to pick up their pace on the forecheck.

"They've been bypassing us fairly easy," said Julien, who'll try to get a new streak going this evening with the Minnesota Wild in town. "I think we need to get [the forecheck] back to where it was. It has been a little slack, loose, and we wanted to tighten it up a little bit."

To underscore his point that his club needed to better its "compete" level, Julien finished the workout with a grueling one-on-one drill at center ice. Two players moved to the center ice dot, and a coach dropped a puck. One player took possession and attempted to back in against the other, all the while attempting to make a full 360-degree around the dot without losing possession.

First up: 6-foot-1-inch, 33-year-old P.J. Axelsson against 6-3, 20-year-old Milan Lucic. Some drills just ain't fair.

"No, that's not fun, he's too big," said the ever-smiling Axelsson. The veteran winger agreed that part of the drill's intent was to increase the squad's compete level.

"Yes, but it is a conditioning drill, too," he said. "You battle out there, and that's what games are, battles. Obviously, you're not going to battle like that for 60 minutes, but it's a good drill for getting you ready."

Asked if the drill was meant for skill, conditioning, or simply sending a message, Julien said, "It's all of that. There is some skill. There's also a battle element. A lot of different things in there . . . plus a message."

Julien had the slightest, almost sinister smile upon adding the word "message."

Ward within range

Julien said Aaron Ward, felled early in Saturday's game with a charley horse, will skate in this morning's workout at the Garden and could be available to face the Wild. "He's doing better," said Julien. "His range of motion is pretty good." . . . Andrew Ference, recovering from a fractured tibia, left the workout as a "precautionary" measure, according to Julien, but the club considers his availability to be a day-to-day proposition . . . Chiarelli said Bergeron has been riding the stationary bike, which is a sign of encouragement for the concussed center. The GM expects Bergeron, 23, to address the media next week, for the first time since being hurt. "He wants to deal [with the media] all at once," said Chiarelli. "After last season, he's grown tired of talking about it. I originally thought he might do it this week, but right now it looks like next week."

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