Chiarelli On Replacing Seidenberg: 'Not Any Veteran Will Help, It Has To Be The Right Player'
BOSTON (CBS) - The Boston Bruins became the latest victims of the Anaheim Ducks' tremendous play in the Honda Center on Tuesday night, falling 5-2 to start their three-game West Coast road trip.
The Bruins still rank second in the league, surrendering only 2.1 goals per game, but have now given up 14 goals in the last four games. The Boston penalty kill, which had been among the best in the league, is struggling mightily since defenseman Dennis Seidenberg went down, giving up seven power play goals in their last two losses.
Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich on Wednesday morning and while he said replacing Seidenberg is impossible, the B's will certainly be looking for someone to help on the blue-line.
"That's something we'd like to try to do, to replace parts of what Dennis brings. I don't expect to replace Dennis Seidenberg; you're not going to get a player like that on the market," said Chiarelli.
While the Bruins have had success in bringing up young defensemen from Providence, a veteran blue-liner is on the top of Chiarelli's wish list ahead of the NHL's March 5 trade deadline.
"Veterans are important additions; they've been through the battles, been in the league for a longer period of time. An experienced guy stabilizes a lot of different things, but it has to be the right player," he said. "Sieds is a defender first, so you try to find a player with those elements. Not any veteran will help, it has to be the right player."
Meanwhile, the Bruins have enjoyed some great success from prospects they've brought up from Providence to fill the void. Guys like Ryan Spooner, Kevan Miller, David Warsofsky and, most recently, Justin Florek have come up and answered the call, impressing their GM in the process.
"Six guys have made their NHL debut from Providence with us and I think all the performances have been above average," said Chiarelli. "They have good coaches down there in Bruce Cassidy and Kevin Dean. We communicate with them a lot and Don Sweeney is down there a lot on the ice with them."
"This is the year we've been struck by a lot of injuries, and sometimes it's not pretty but they do their job," he added. "They're still young so they have a chance to become permanent fixtures in the organization."
Chiarelli also touched on the Olympic selection process, and if he's worried about his players tiring out in Sochi:
