Boston Bruins: Time to Make Decisions

The Bruins' Brass has some work to do this week.  They have to make some big cuts that will affect the culture in the locker room as well as the meeting the expectations of the salary cap era.

We will see how good of a GM Peter Chiarelli is.  Can he balance the books while keeping the best players on the team?  This all remains to be seen until the Bruins roll into Colorado on Thursday night for the Bruins' NHL Season Opener.

I know that winning in the pre-season is no big deal as the games don't mean anything, but one win doesn't build too much confidence in the fan base or with the players. 

The Bruins are saying all the right things.  It is a time to bond and team build for when the games start, there is not time for that.  The season is a time for winning games.

So, will all the team building and bonding going to work?  They have a good start if it will.  The Bruins are way ahead of where they were last season at this time.  They have a solid core bunch who have been around and are creating the culture.  The young players have all bought into the program and now it is time to put it all together.

I am still not comfortable in the goalie department.  There are still questions to be asked if Manny Fernandez can be here all season long without injury.  Tim Thomas hasn't looked great this pre-season and I hope he isn't losing his speed in net.  Timmy is a good goalie, but the Bruins will need a good tandem to be competitive this season. 

Tuukka Rask must keep his bags packed to a quick call up if needed.  I know he isn't ready yet to be with the club full time, but he can win a few games for the B's throughout the season and that will help.

The young players are coming along nicely.   I would like to see the playoff intensity that they had last year or even the last week of the season last year.

Then there are the veterans.  It will be up to them to lead this team by example and start scoring and leading the charge.  Savard, Bergeron, and Ryder need to start scoring and scoring in droves.  If Big Z is the Bruins leading scorer, then the Bruins will be in trouble.  Z is the leading goal scorer for the Bruins this pre-season...scary!

So it is time for all of these players to earn their money.  It is Chiarelli's time to earn his money and balance the books properly so that he will be able to put the best team on the ice.