Barring any late-summer trades, it would look as though the Bruins' forward corps will be in line for more shuffling in 2019-20, especially when it comes to filling a top-six role to David Krejci’s right and replacing Marcus Johansson on a third line anchored by Charlie Coyle.
But on the blue line, the situation is a bit more clear — if not crowded — when it comes to the Bruins.
While Boston, like many other NHL franchises, has yet to re-sign its RFAs in Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo, one figures both parties will come to terms on new deals in due time (and with some cap shed off the books, of course).
Once McAvoy and Carlo are back in the fold, Boston figures to have an embarrassment of riches on defense, so much so that even promising rookies like Urho Vaakanainen and Jeremy Lauzon may not have much space afforded to them when it comes to cracking a roster spot out of camp.
But in a sport as unpredictable as hockey when it comes to injuries and roster juggling, one can never have enough options when it comes to bolstering a team’s blue line.
As such, it appears as though Boston is set to bring in another veteran for training camp, as 27-year-old Alex Petrovic has reportedly signed a professional tryout deal (PTO), as reported by Alex Thomas of Boston Hockey Now.
The 6-foot-4, 214-pound defenseman appeared in 35 games last year between the Panthers and Oilers, tallying two assists while averaging 16:32 of ice time. A physical blue liner that battled concussion issues last season, Petrovic led all Panthers in hits during his last full season in 2017-18, amassing 142 over 67 games played.
While there may not be that much room on the NHL roster for Petrovic at the moment, could a spot be carved out by the time October rolls around?
At first glance at the Bruins' D-corps depth chart, it doesn't look too promising for Petrovic in terms of earning a spot up in the NHL ranks.
And while Petrovic could earn himself a role within the organization by way of a two-way contract, the veteran certainly didn't do himself any favors last year when it came to establishing himself as an NHL regular.
Simply put, Petrovic was disastrous upon getting dealt to Edmonton back in late December, even if it was over a small sample size of just nine games played. Even on an Oilers team that ranked 25th in the league in goals allowed per game at 3.31, Petrovic was a liability when out for a shift — with the opposition scoring eight 5v5 goals (and the Oilers scoring just one 5v5 goal) in the 118:13 of TOI that Petrovic logged last year.
(As seen below, opposing team's shot rates spiked well over the league average in Grade-A areas of the ice when Petrovic was on the ice. That's not pretty.)
Now, of course, the Bruins aren't like the Oilers, and plan on bringing Petrovic in with the purpose of being a regular, third-pairing option next season. If anything, he simply serves as a serviceable depth piece that can answer the call in short spurts when needed. But on paper, Boston already seems to have a number of back-up options, even before we start looking at younger prospects like Vaakanainen and Lauzon.
In terms of right-shot D, Petrovic would likely have to fight for playing time with both Steven Kampfer and Connor Clifton — a veteran and a younger skater that both answered the call throughout the season for Boston, and especially during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
However, even beyond the scenario in which Carlo and McAvoy do hold out as part of their contract negotiations, Boston's depth on defense could be tested in a variety of ways before the regular season gets underway.
In particular, the status of Kevan Miller could play a role in just how much Petrovic factors into the Bruins' roster composition. While Miller and the $2.5 million cap hit he carries into the final year of his contract could make him a prime trade candidate as Boston looks to free up cash for McAvoy/Carlo, such a scenario may not even be on the table given Miller's current standing on the injury front.
After suffering a fractured kneecap in the days leading up to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Miller suffered the exact same injury to the same knee back in May as he attempted to return during the Eastern Conference Final against the Hurricanes. Obviously, suffering two severe injuries to the same knee in such a short amount of time took its toll, as Miller told Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe that he has still yet to resume skating so far in August. Ruh-roh.
While Miller was most likely going to miss most of the preseason and potentially the start of the regular season anyway, this isn't exactly the most promising news for the veteran defenseman, who seems destined to go on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) to open the new year. Add in what could also be a LTIR stint for John Moore after undergoing surgery for a broken humerus/shoulder injury that has a recovery time of 4-6 months, and Boston could use another option or two in case a few bodies are missing in October.
For as much as Boston's depth appears loaded right now, don't forget — we are less than a year removed from a lineup that looked like this:
Some new D pairs this evening.#NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/YAAKUhL3Ye
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) November 17, 2018