With Marc Savard's Season Done, Boston Bruins Need Others To Emerge

In the very near future, the Bruins will officially announce that Marc Savard has played his last game of the 2010-2011 season. This is no surprise to most of us, especially as the savvy center has been a shadow of himself since returning in early December before suffering yet another concussion in Colorado a week before the All-Star break.

Despite his struggles, which was expected, he will be missed in the Bruins lineup as they head towards a fourth straight playoff appearance.

To fill this gap, the Bruins need guys to step up their game. This includes David Krejci, who had a disappointing start to the season but has been hot of late, with seven points in his last nine games.

Playing on a line with Lucic and Horton has helped the trio, especially with Horton scoring his first goal in what seemed like an eternity against Carolina last week. When Horton gets passes like that from Krejci, he better put the puck in the net. Nonetheless, it was great to see him get rewarded for his efforts.

Nothing really needs to be said for Bergeron's line. Patrice has been playing his best while the pesky Brad Marchand is showing he is much more than a fourth-liner. When you see him make plays like he did on both of Bergeron's mirror image goals against the Stars, what's not to like about Marchand? He's what you want out of a Bruin.

The fourth line has been doing everything you can ask for from such a group, especially with Campbell on this year's version as the line's pivot. He is a significant upgrade over Steve Begin and even Stephane Yelle. Thornton is the team's honorable enforcer, with Paille usually taking the left wing slot when he isn't suspended for a questionable hit. Not much more needs to be asked from these guys. 

That leaves just a few remaining mystery men of the top 12 who need to elevate their game. Michael Ryder got off to a good start this season but has cooled off to the Ryder we saw last season. The one that can't handle solid passes or coughs the puck up blindly and can't hit a wide open opportunity to score. We know we can't expect this guy to score 30 goals a season consistently, but we need him to at least not be counter-productive.

Blake Wheeler has been playing center and has done a serviceable job at it. There's talent in that large frame and the Bruins need to see more of it if he's going to play such an accountable position on this team.

But most of all, the B's need their second overall pick from last summer to step up the most. Seguin has been here all season long and is going through the growing pains of being a rookie in the NHL. We have seen him make his share of mistakes but we have also seen his bursts of speed and offensive playmaking abilities.

He needs to emerge and be featured in key roles for this team the rest of the way. It's what's best for his development and ultimately for the Bruins. He is capable of so much and him playing on the fourth line just won't cut it.

I'm not saying he should be logging twenty minutes a game like Bergeron and Krejci, but he should certainly be playing more than the roughly eight minutes a game he gets. He will be a huge centerpiece for this franchise in the years to come, which can only make us smile as Phil Kessel continues to disappoint in Toronto.  

While the future of Savard beyond this season will still be unknown, there is no doubt retirement is a serious possibility for the 33-year-old. It really is a shame that this is how his career could end. All this courtesy of Matt Cooke's cheap shot and deliberate attempt to injure last March.

Yet Cooke is still skating around punishment-free while Savard essentially lost an entire season worth of hockey.

And while we can expect guys to step up in Savard's absence, his talent that fans have come to know and love will be sorely missed. Who knows what the team will do as the trade deadline approaches; they might try to fill that playmaking gap, or acquire a puck-moving defenseman, or both.

We'll just have to wait and see. But all we can hope is a full recovery for Marc Savard to a regular, healthy lifestyle again.