(AP Photo/Charlie Krupa) Mark Stuart, right, will miss at least two more weeks.
For a team that has ranked dead-last in the NHL in goals-for virtually all season long, the natural reaction would be to call for forward who can find the back of the net.
Likewise, as the Bruins remain in the top-5 in goals-against average for the majority of the season – especially in the second half of the season – to say their true need upon the Mar. 3 NHL trade deadline was added defense to their blue-line was near blasphemy to some people. But as we witnessed once again today, the Bruins lack of depth on their blue-line proved once again why this was in fact, their public enemy No. 1.
Akin to last season, it was injuries to their depleted defensive core that caught-up with Boston during the playoffs. Matt Hunwick (spleen) and Andrew Ference (groin) were limited to just one and three post season games, respectively, due to illness/injury. This called for Steve Montador to essentially become their No.3-4 defenseman in terms of time-on-ice. Upping his regular season average of 15:55 to 19:32 in the playoffs, the defenseman acquired at the trade deadline last season from Anaheim even played 29:30 in Game Seven against the Carolina Hurricanes.
This year, defenseman Mark Stuart will miss the handful of games remaining of the regular season after undergoing surgery on an infected finger. This is the third time since breaking in the NHL full-time in 2007-08 that Stuart will miss time due to injuries. Prior to a broken sternum in mid-December which kept him out for 14 games, No. 45 was the team's iron man, having played in 196 consecutive games for the Black-and-Gold, and 213 straight including the playoffs.
As far as disappointments from last year to this current 2009-10 season, Hunwick, along with fellow blue-liner Dennis Wideman, have been jockeying for the poster boy cover since the season started 79 games ago. With a depleting blue-line, this only calls for added playing time for the 2009-10 underachievers, as it did in Saturday's 2-1 OT victory over the Maple Leafs when they each logged over 27 minutes of ice time. A time that's okay against one of NHL's worst, but something that will wind up catastrophic when it really counts.
Injuries are bound to happen. It's inevitable. But the replacement for the wounded and under-performing players are AHL call-ups – mere Band-aids to cover-up the bigger problem: the Bruins needed defense this season and the brass did not come through. They did, however, acquire Seidenberg from the Florida Panthers on the Mar. 3 NHL trade deadline. But it was at the expense of trading one of their best defensive performers of the season in Derek Morris and his $3.3M contract, prior to the acquisition on the German native. A lateral trade to a hair-slight upgrade at best. Now if the Bruins could have acquired Seidenberg while keeping Morris, then that would have been a success.
Case in point for next season; now that Andrew ference is signed-on, along with Zdeno Chara, Hunwick and Wideman, the Bruins management needs to seriously contemplate their next move for this offseason. Keeping these four as a top-4 defensive unit will ultimately fail. Johnny Boychuk, Seidenberg and Stuart are all impending free-agents that should be re-signed. If not, upgrading on Jul. 1 is absolutely paramount (see: Kaberle, Tomas).
The Bruins face the Washington Capitals tonight in what could be a prelude to the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. If the injuries keep piling on for the B's back-end, it could be over before it even starts.
One can only hope they look at these past two seasons, learn from them, and do something about their blue-line for next season.
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