Boston Bruins' Future Even Brighter in Light of NHL Draft and Emerging Stars

A good power play was once considered a necessity in the playoffs, but the Boston Bruins dispelled that myth.

No one said it would be easy, but bringing home the Stanley Cup on a humbling power play success rate of 11.4 percent is more than just difficult—it's supernatural. The only teams with lower numbers were the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins, both of which failed to get past the first round.

The impossible Bruins power play inspired eruptions of rare booing in their own building more than once from frustrated and incredulous fans who were made to sit through inert 5-on-3 opportunities. We're not hearing a peep out of them at the moment, of course, but as the regular season starts up again, the Bruins will have to answer to Malkin, Crosby, Lindstrom and Bryzgalov. It's time to fill that power play gap with an offensively-minded defenseman or two.

Given the team's failure to capitalize on the (alleged) puck-moving skills of defenseman Thomas Kaberle, no one would be shocked to see him go. Peter Chiarelli has admitted to being undecided on the issue and may very well be taking advantage of the expiration date on Kaberle's contract. After all, Steven Kampfer is thought to be ready and Matt Bartowski might appreciate the opportunity to earn some ice time.

The Bruins' future looks even brighter, however, in light of the coming draft. With a ninth pick in the first round, the Bruins may be able to grab a very offensively-skilled defenseman like "Magic Hands" Ryan Murphy, who is ranked ninth overall and has been the talk of the town ever since he was singled-out by Don Cherry last year.

Six of the top 13 prospects are defensemen and the Bruins will likely take advantage of the opportunity to fill the void at the point with a newcomer who may just be ripe by the end of the season.

Whatever happens at the draft on Friday, the Bruins will have several options. At a reduced rate and improved performance, Kaberle may very well become the puck-mover they need. His most recent playoff performance showed few or no signs of the slow decision-maker we saw in the regular season.

With an additional defenseman or two in training and a more affordable Kaberle, the Bruins' power play may finally start to enjoy the benefits of Tyler Seguin, who has proved to be at least as effective a playmaker as he is a goal-scorer.

Indeed, the near future seems to hold good things for the Stanley Cup champions, who made history this year with a historically ineffective power play and three Game 7 playoff victories.

With the guaranteed return of all but two members of the current roster, the Bruins will be entering next season with confidence backed by David Krejci, who led the playoffs in both points and goals, two-time Vezina winner Tim Thomas, emerging superstar (and third-round pick) Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and a healthy Nathan Horton, who is reportedly no longer experiencing concussion symptoms.

With Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg added to the mix, next season should be significantly better than the last as the power play starts to show signs of life. And with the help of special teams, the Bruins may not have to do it the hard way next time.


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