Bruins - Inside Shots

The Bruins have to be happy with much of what they were able to accomplish this past season, returning to the playoffs after a two-year absence and coming back from a 3-1 game deficit to force a Game 7 with Montreal. But that can’t hide the fact there’s work to be done.

And, every time people talk about next season—about building on whatever gains were made in the crowded and wildly successful Boston sports scene—the same name seems to surface.

Marian Hossa.

The unrestricted free agent-to-be, never known as being a goal scorer in big games, scored two in a Game 5 elimination of the Rangers, giving him five (and 10 points) in nine playoff games as the Penguins headed into the Eastern Conference finals against Philadelphia.

The Penguins, who acquired Hossa from Atlanta for the stretch run, would appear to already have too much in the way of big-name players and money, which could make Hossa a true rent-a-player. It could also make him highly desirable to several teams, including the Bruins.

“It’s always nice when you can do that if you have the room to do it, but in the same sense we proved that this year we (already) have guys that can do it,” said Bruins center Marc Savard, Hossa’s teammate in Atlanta, on the day the Bruins packed up and went home. “But any time you can make your team better, that’s always a positive and if that happens, that’d be great—but if not, we know what we have in here and we’re capable of doing good things.”

The Boston Globe reported May 4 that Dallas and Los Angeles could go heavily after Hossa, but you have to wonder if the Rangers, who will have money to spend, might be in the mix, too.

For his part, Hossa told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “I’m not a pure goal scorer. I’m not like (Alexander) Ovechkin or (Ilya) Kovalchuk. I’m not in that category. I’m more of a two-way guy.”

A “two-way guy” who, at age 28, has 299 goals and 648 NHL points in a 701-game (regular season) career that’s seen him amass a plus-85 rating. Sounds like all the things the Bruins are looking for.

Season Highlight: When you haven’t made the playoffs the last two seasons, the highlight is the night you made the playoffs, and the Bruins did that with a 2-1 win at Ottawa in Game 81 of the 82-game season.

Turning Point: This was a battle throughout, but Bruins’ folks point to a weekend home-and-home series with the New York Rangers, Jan. 19-20. The Bruins won at home, 4-3 in a shootout, Saturday and then went down to New York and won 3-1 the next day. It started a streak of five wins in six games.

Notes, Quotes

• Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli had to be looking at some potential buyouts as the team looks toward next season. Veterans Glen Murray and P.J. Axelsson would seem to be most at risk, with Murray almost a sure thing. He’s due $4.15 million next year and the buyout would hit the Bruins’ cap for $1.4 million for each of the next two years. He could also be sent to Providence, where he would earn the entire $4.15 million and not count against the NHL cap, but that’s not likely.

Chiarelli, seated next to coach Claude Julien at the team’s post-season news conference, confirmed Julien was working under the terms of a long-term deal. “Wish it was longer,” said a smiling Julien, who just completed a successful first year as Boston’s coach.

• Former Bruins coach Pat Burns, who has battled cancer for the past four years, was working as an assistant coach for Team Canada at the World Championships and his name continues to surface for NHL job openings.

Quote To Note: “All you can hope now is that you can carry that into next year.”—Bruins coach Claude Julien, on his team’s late-season charge to the playoffs and a seven-game series with Montreal.

Roster Report

Most Valuable Player: G Tim Thomas came into the season fighting for playing time. Manny Fernandez was brought in to be the likely No. 1 and Tuukka Rask was the goalie of the future. So, all Thomas did was go out and become an All-Star, often acting as a one-man gang in keeping his offensively challenged team in hockey games.

Most Disappointing Player: LW Peter Schaefer was brought in to add grit and offense to the front line and really added neither until the final games of the playoffs. What he showed in the last few games is what the Bruins need him to show next season.

Free Agent Focus: The Bruins need a forward who can score, at least one, and Marian Hossa’s name keeps popping up.

RW Chuck Kobasew, who had a strong year before suffering a broken leg, could be out of the picture as a restricted free agent as the Bruins have to decide whether to match a money figure from outside.

D Dennis Wideman is another RFA who could command some money from outside.

The Bruins quickly extended offers to potential UFA’s Aaron Ward and Glen Metropolit. “We figured Glen would be a depth guy for us but he turned out to be more than that,” said Chiarelli, talking to the Boston Globe, of C Metropolit, a $500,000 walk-on last year. “Going forward, we’d see him more in third- and fourth-line roles, help with the (penalty killing).” On Ward, the veteran defenseman, the GM said, “The latter part of the year, he did a lot of good things for us. Philosophically, he’s a really good fit for us. And monetarily… decent.” The Globe said Carolina, one of Ward’s old teams (he won the Cup there), wants him back.

Player Notes:

• G Tim Thomas was sent home by Team USA from the World Championships after suffering what appeared to be a minor knee injury.

• D Dennis Wideman was to have hernia surgery in the off-season.

• LW Milan Lucic will be working on his speed over the summer. “I definitely want to get faster,” he said. “And I don’t think I need to get any heavier.” Lucic on the end of the season: “Hey, a couple of bounces and we could be in Pittsburgh right now. When it came to an end, it was a bitter pill to swallow, shaking all (the Canadiens’) hands.”

• Lucic was second among NHL rookies in hits, with 181. He and C David Krejci tied for 13th among rookies in points, with 27.

• Krejci was proudly skating for the Czech Republic at the World Championships. “It’s a huge honor. This is something special,” he said. “When I was young, I would dream about this, about playing for the National team in the World Championships, and I got the opportunity to do that this year.” He says the Worlds are bigger than the Stanley Cup back home. “In (my country), this means much more to the Czech people—more than anything else,” he said.

• RW Phil Kessel continued his playoff surge with a hat trick for Team USA May 4.

• Forwards Petteri Nokalainen and Vladimir Sobotka were contributing for the Providence Bruins in the AHL playoffs.

• F Jeff Hoggan was out after wrist surgery.

• C Marc Savard on his first playoff appearance: “There is another level there and it’s amazing to see that. That was especially so after missing (the last) seven games (with a back injury) and then coming back for Game 1. Stepping in, after not being able to practice… it was the quickest hockey I have ever seen.”

• C Carl Soderberg, acquired from St. Louis in the trade for Hannu Toivonen, is still playing in Sweden and the Bruins hope to have him in North America next season.