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Kalman: Regardless Of Personnel, Bruce Cassidy's Plan Is For Bruins D To Transition Quicker

By Matt Kalman, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- As currently constituted, the Bruins defense corps might not be ready to defend and transition the puck out of the zone at the level we've seen from the teams currently playing the NHL semifinals.

That doesn't mean Bruce Cassidy, who was promoted this week from head coach of Providence of the AHL to assistant coach in Boston, won't set a high standard for pupils come fall.

When asked during a conference call Wednesday about what he thinks the Bruins defense corps can do better next season to avoid a third straight playoff miss, Cassidy didn't want to speak too far out of turn now that he's no longer the mouthpiece of a coaching staff. But he basically echoed coach Claude Julien's comments from earlier in the day.

"I think what we'd like to grow in our game is the ability to move the puck out of the zone quicker and cleaner," Cassidy said. "That may involve a few more one-man breakouts. Players have the ability to beat the first forechecker with their feet, make a good outlet pass, then you don't have to always use your partner, so we're not quite as predictable. So that's how I'd like us to look on the transition part, where we're a little more fluid coming out of our zone. That generally is a mindset that the defensemen have to buy into, that they have the ability to do that. Everyone's a little bit different.

"Every player on the back end has the ability to move the puck. They might not all be labeled necessarily puck-movers throughout hockey, but they're NHL players, they all have the ability to move the puck and we want to sort of grow their game there and at least reach their ceiling and hopefully beyond in that part of it."

Cassidy was pushing it with the idea that "every player" can move the puck. But you have to give him credit for confidence in the face of a difficult task considering Boston's current personnel. Of course, Cassidy has to know that the top six or seven defensemen on the depth chart right now won't be the same when training camp opens. General manager Don Sweeney spoke Wednesday about adding a "transitional" defenseman (which seems to be the same as a puck-mover without using that worn-out phrase) and hopefully getting contributions from some of the younger guys entering the organization, such as Jeremy Lauzon, Rob O'Gara and Matt Grzelcyk.

Despite Sweeney's decision to re-sign Kevan Miller and keep him along with Adam McQuaid and Dennis Seidenberg to clog up the works, the Bruins should have a more dynamic element to their defensemen in 2016-17. Sweeney is going to have to import one or two puck-movers and maybe trade one or more of his rugged defenders in order to turn things around, but the philosophy continues to evolve with the return of Julien alongside a new cast of assistants.

Cassidy's coaching has worked in the AHL and it should translate well to the NHL, considering his pedigree as a former NHL defenseman and head coach. But coaching only goes so far.

Julien spoke Wednesday about the transition game and although he saw room for improvement, he was more focused on the defensive aspects of the game. He wants tighter gaps and better play without the puck in the Boston zone. However, the NHL final four teams, who all have superior defense corps to the Bruins to begin with, have proven that often the best defense is an improved offense. With cleaner breakouts and more carrying of the puck without turning it over, the Bruins can relieve some of the pressure on their defenders, especially if Sweeney isn't able to sufficiently upgrade the talent level. Some responsibility will have to fall to the forwards to provide better support, and re-signing Loui Eriksson should be a priority for this reason alone (not to mention the other things Eriksson can do), but the Bruins might have to swap out some grit for speed and cut down their goals against just by letting opponents have the puck less.

That's where Cassidy comes in. He admitted he was an offensive defenseman, but he always believed in defending well and trying to get the puck back. That mentality will help the more offensive-minded Bruins on the back end. And some of his different ideas about breakouts and the transition game should feel fresh to the veterans and maybe even induce an ounce or two of improvement from the likes of Miller and McQuaid.

"I love Claude's defensive system with the layers and it's just going to be our job to make sure maybe we can make our decisions somewhat quicker on closing to get those pucks back," Cassidy said. "We've talked about it at both levels in Boston and Providence over the years so we'll continue to grow that part of the game."

Coming off two playoff-less seasons, the Bruins definitely have room to grow.

Matt Kalman covers the Bruins for CBSBoston.com and also contributes to NHL.com and several other media outlets. Follow him on Twitter @TheBruinsBlog.

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