This just in from other people's newsrooms: 34-year-old Bruins D-man Dennis Seidenberg, an unfortunate staple on the Bruins defense since the now-ousted Peter Chiarelli traded him in 2010, will now undergo surgery to repair a herniated disc. For those who don't know what a herniated disc is (like me until a few second ago), click here. Seidenberg will be out for the preseason and most likely the first month or so of the season.
However, with Seidenberg out of the picture, this opens the door for a slew of defensive players with an uncertain roster status: namely Matt Irwin, Joe Morrow, and Colin Miller. Morrow (22) and Miller (also 22) are both young players, while Irwin (27) has spent a significant amount of time on the San Jose Sharks' third pairing and on the power play - and he's behind only Brent Burns in points per 60 on the power play among qualifying Sharks D-men. Let's look at who could be given a spot thanks to Dennis Seidnberg's bad back:
Joe Morrow, acquired as a piece in the infamous Seguin trade, has proven he can skate, score, and defend in both the AHL and NHL. Originally drafted in the 1st round by the Penguins, he bounced from the minor league systems of Pittsburgh, Dallas, and now Boston. Morrow played his first ever NHL game last season as part of a 15-game audition for the Bruins, scoring a goal and no assists. Morrow did not look out of place during his stint with the big club. Morrow has the potential to be a triple threat on offence, defence, and special teams. Morrow's main weapons are his skating, passing, "hockey sense", and his hard and heavy slapshot. With Seidenberg's injury, Morrow has a chance to make the opening-day roster, and even if he doesn't, a callup is almost certainly in his future.
Colin Miller (aka "the Other Miller") was return from the polarizing Lucic trade, another young, fast, smart defenseman coming out of the AHL. Miller was drafted in the 5th round by the LA Kings in 2012 and has since worked his way up the hockey ladder. In juniors, his point total increased from 22 to 24 to 55 in his three seasons, the final one of which involved him scoring at a point-per-game clip and being named a third-team OHL All-Star. The next season, he scored a "meh" 17 points in 65 games, or 0.26 points per game in his pro debut. And then, last year, Colin Miller had a breakout year - he scored 52 points in 70 games, led all AHL defensemen in points, and with 19 goals led all defensemen in goals. He was also named an AHL All-Star, won the AHL's hardest shot competition and won the AHL championship, the Calder Cup. Miller will push for a spot and could arguably be considered the front-runner for the number 6/7 spot.
Matt Irwin has less on the line than the Other Miller and Joe Morrow, but the loss of Seidenberg solidified Irwin's spot on the Bruins roster - for now. Krug will most likely be moved up to the second pairing to create a Krug-McQuaid pairing. This has the effect of bumping Matt Irwin up to the number 5 spot. Irwin, an undrafted college D-man out of UMass-Amherst, was signed by the San Jose Sharks as a college free agent in 2010 after rising up the hockey ranks Colin-Miller-style. After becoming a legend in the Junior A BCHL (twice being named best defenseman in his conference during his tenure there), he scored 24 points in 36 games (compared to 18 points the last season in the same amount of games). That led to a few years with AHL Worcester, where again his point total steadily increased until, finally he made the NHL. Though he scored seven less points last year than he did before that, his position in the NHL is now solidified.
However, with Seidenberg out of the picture, this opens the door for a slew of defensive players with an uncertain roster status: namely Matt Irwin, Joe Morrow, and Colin Miller. Morrow (22) and Miller (also 22) are both young players, while Irwin (27) has spent a significant amount of time on the San Jose Sharks' third pairing and on the power play - and he's behind only Brent Burns in points per 60 on the power play among qualifying Sharks D-men. Let's look at who could be given a spot thanks to Dennis Seidnberg's bad back:
Joe Morrow, acquired as a piece in the infamous Seguin trade, has proven he can skate, score, and defend in both the AHL and NHL. Originally drafted in the 1st round by the Penguins, he bounced from the minor league systems of Pittsburgh, Dallas, and now Boston. Morrow played his first ever NHL game last season as part of a 15-game audition for the Bruins, scoring a goal and no assists. Morrow did not look out of place during his stint with the big club. Morrow has the potential to be a triple threat on offence, defence, and special teams. Morrow's main weapons are his skating, passing, "hockey sense", and his hard and heavy slapshot. With Seidenberg's injury, Morrow has a chance to make the opening-day roster, and even if he doesn't, a callup is almost certainly in his future.
Colin Miller (aka "the Other Miller") was return from the polarizing Lucic trade, another young, fast, smart defenseman coming out of the AHL. Miller was drafted in the 5th round by the LA Kings in 2012 and has since worked his way up the hockey ladder. In juniors, his point total increased from 22 to 24 to 55 in his three seasons, the final one of which involved him scoring at a point-per-game clip and being named a third-team OHL All-Star. The next season, he scored a "meh" 17 points in 65 games, or 0.26 points per game in his pro debut. And then, last year, Colin Miller had a breakout year - he scored 52 points in 70 games, led all AHL defensemen in points, and with 19 goals led all defensemen in goals. He was also named an AHL All-Star, won the AHL's hardest shot competition and won the AHL championship, the Calder Cup. Miller will push for a spot and could arguably be considered the front-runner for the number 6/7 spot.
Matt Irwin has less on the line than the Other Miller and Joe Morrow, but the loss of Seidenberg solidified Irwin's spot on the Bruins roster - for now. Krug will most likely be moved up to the second pairing to create a Krug-McQuaid pairing. This has the effect of bumping Matt Irwin up to the number 5 spot. Irwin, an undrafted college D-man out of UMass-Amherst, was signed by the San Jose Sharks as a college free agent in 2010 after rising up the hockey ranks Colin-Miller-style. After becoming a legend in the Junior A BCHL (twice being named best defenseman in his conference during his tenure there), he scored 24 points in 36 games (compared to 18 points the last season in the same amount of games). That led to a few years with AHL Worcester, where again his point total steadily increased until, finally he made the NHL. Though he scored seven less points last year than he did before that, his position in the NHL is now solidified.
Dennis Seidenberg skates against the Islanders at an away game. Photo credit: Bruce Bennett, Getty Images North America