Boston Bruins: The Do's and Don'ts of Rebounding from an Abysmal October

At the one-month, 10-game mark of their Stanley Cup title defense, the oft-elastic Boston Bruins are confronting their greatest test of resiliency since their renaissance began four-plus years ago. At 3-7-0 and in the very basement of the Eastern Conference, they now face a battle to replenish their identity as playoff contenders.

All things considered, especially the fact that there are 72 games yet to be played, there is enough time and space for this predicament to grow increasingly overwhelming.

Decisions in the front office and at ice level could spell a telling difference in the immediate and long-term future of the 2011-12 season. They could either set the Bruins on a pace to kick ice chips over this forgettable month and or fall into an all but vain struggle like that of last year’s New Jersey Devils.

So, what tactics should be pursued and what should be eschewed? Three of the former and two of the latter come readily to mind.

Do Keep Working On Trades

While general manager Peter Chiarelli doesn’t want to cast off too much of what garnered his team the Cup (more on that point later), it is plain as a clean sheet of ice that new personnel is needed.

Depending on how soon a deal is ready to be made, this should mean exporting either a few prospects from Providence or a continuously unproductive Boston player, such as Gregory Campbell or Benoit Pouliot.

In exchange, there are several conceivable options currently circulating in the trade winds and rumor mills. As mentioned previously in this space, these include veteran Ray Whitney of Phoenix, Jiri Hudler from the big fish pond of Detroit, Rene Bourque of Calgary and Derick Brassard of Columbus.

In short, Chiarelli should be eyeing an acquisition who could replenish what was lost with the retirement of Mark Recchi and/or what Michael Ryder transported over to Dallas.

Don’t Even Think About Canning The Coach

The outcry from some of the fanbase to discharge Claude Julien was irrational when it happened during the team’s run to first place in the conference in 2008-09. It was irrational during the injury-riddled struggle just to put in a third straight playoff appearance in 2010. It was irrational when they Bruins were on their way to the title last season. And it’s irrational now.

Since the turn of the century, two other Cup-winning teams have fired their coaches not long removed from the championship afterglow and set themselves back as a consequence.

Bob Hartley fast-tracked Ray Bourque and the Colorado Avalanche through Mission 16W in 2000-01, then was unemployed after 31 games in 2002-03. In the eight years since then, Colorado has never made it past the second round of the playoffs.

The team Colorado beat in the 2001 finals, the New Jersey Devils, dismissed Larry Robinson after 51 games in 2001-02. All he had done for them was guide them to back-to-back berths in the finals, including a championship in 2000.

Granted, New Jersey soon claimed another Cup in 2003 under the guidance of Pat Burns, but don’t bank on the Bruins having similar luck. For the Devils, that return to glory was an anomaly. Julien himself is one of three other coaches to have been inexplicably fired by the trigger-happy Lou Lamoriello since then, and the Devils, like the Avs, have not gone deep in the playoffs since before the lockout.

If Julien’s Bruins fail to make both this season’s and next season’s playoffs, like Peter Laviolette’s Hurricanes did so soon after winning the title in 2006, then we’ll talk.

Do Think About Promotions, Demotions

Breaking news down in Providence: Zach Hamill is actually playing like a first-round draft choice. In other words, the AHL coaching change from Rob Murray to Bruce Cassidy is working according to plan.

Through 11 games, Hamill has easily had his most productive start in four years with the P-Bruins, logging a team-best five goals and four assists. In his three previous professional seasons, Hamill had never scored any more than one goal through the first 10 games.

So why not flip-flop Hamill with Jordan Caron for an indefinite period of time? Why not reward the former for his overdue awakening while giving Caron some of Cassidy’s guidance?

Other prospects who have made an impression in recent weeks include Stefan Chaput, Lane MacDermid and Kirk MacDonald. And if anyone else eligible for a reassignment falls into an abysmal slump, leave that on the table as well.

Don’t Stop Shuffling

While you don’t want too much tweaking at a time, it is not a bad idea to keep everyone’s heads up by leaving that degree of uncertainty as to who is working with whom. Furthermore, the more work various linemates get with one another, especially in practice, the more flexible everyone becomes and the more accustomed they get to a variety of combinations.

In turn, this will produce two long-term benefits for the price of one. Players will be ready to adjust to any necessary changes at any time not only in the event of a barren offense, but also in the event of injuries to key personnel.

Do Consider Benching/Scratching A Big Name

Dennis Seidenberg trails only Tyler Seguin and Patrice Bergeron for the team lead with 28 shots on goal. That puts him on an easy pace to land well over 200 for the first time nine NHL seasons.

You would think that at least two or three of those would have tuned the back of the net. Not so. Seidenberg’s only point after 10 games is one solitary assist, which puts him on pace for a career-low eight points. He is also tied with Joe Corvo and Shawn Thornton for a team-worst rating of minus-four.

Odds are he will pick up the production before the 2011-12 season is over. But until then, it is worth sending him and his teammates a message by relegating the minute-munching blueliner to the press box for at least a night or two.