Bruins Training Camp: Top 5 Storylines

1) Two's company, three's a crowd
Coming into camp, we knew that Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez would be fighting for the starting spot in goal. What we didn't know was that Tuukka Rask would emerge as the leading contender.

As if it's not complicated enough already, the Bruins are now operating with a 1A/1B/1C goalie tandem. Thomas and Fernandez have both looked rusty at times, while Rask appears cool and confident against big-league snipers. It's unlikely that the Finn will find himself in the driver's seat before the New Year, but he's giving Bruins management a good reason to take a Habs-like approach to their goaltending controversy.

2) Trade coming down the tracks
Hubhockey.com quotes Pete Chiarelli as saying there is a "better than 50 percent" chance that the Bruins will make a salary-clearing trade in the next few days. Phil Kessel's name is being floated as a possible piece of trade bait, though I suspect there would be a minor revolt in the fanbase if Kessel were traded so early in his development. Peter Schaefer, on the other hand, is probably keeping a packed suitcase handy -- if Chiarelli can't find a trade parter, waiving Schaefer wouldn't be out of the question.

[update: The Boston Herald has dropped Marc Savard's name as a possible casualty in a blockbuster trade. This would be not only shocking, but senseless for a host of reasons -- Savard nearly led the league in assists last season on a defensive-minded team, Patrice Bergeron is still a question mark as #1 center, the Ryder/Savard combo would be gone, and frankly it just doesn't make sense for the Bruins to make a blockbuster trade right now.]

3) Lucic struggles
Milan Lucic is all the rage in Boston these days, with Cam Neely comparisons being thrown about quite liberally among the fans and media. So the big winger's lack of production in the preseason might be a damper on the hype -- perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to assume that the 19-year-old would enjoy a Hall of Fame career before being crippled by Ulf Samuelsson.

In 4 preseason games, including an 8-3 thrashing of the Habs, Lucic has one secondary assist. That's not exactly top-line production, and suggests that extra defensive attention might become a factor in the dreaded sophomore season. Keep an eye on Looch's development, because it will figure into expectations not only for this season, but the Bruins' long-term outlook as well. The Bruins Hockey Blog suggests we might still be a year or two away from seeing the "real" Lucic.

4) Wheeler rolling
A counterbalance to Lucic's struggles is the encouraging play of Blake Wheeler. The young winger, who ditched the Coyotes organization to play in Boston, has been turning heads with a goal and three assists so far in the preseason. By all appearances, Wheeler has earned at least a brief opportunity to impress at the NHL level, probably displacing Jeremy Reich as a 4th-line winger. As a #5 overall pick in 2004 (just behind some guys named Ovechkin, Malkin, Barker and Ladd) Wheeler was expected to be a future All-Star -- perhaps we're seeing a turning point in Bruins history. The Bear Cave details Wheeler's chances of snagging a roster spot.

5) Ghosts of Injuries Past
Like the goaltending issue, this storyline has been played to death in the media already. Nevertheless, B's fans will be on the injury watch for the first several weeks of the season to ensure that several key players are able to recover from the injury-riddled 07-08 campaign. The Bruins Hockey Blog reports that Zdeno Chara is expected to suit up tonight in Montreal, testing his injured shoulder for the first time this preseason. In the same game, Manny Fernandez will continue to work on his recovery from IR, and of course Patrice Bergeron will be on the watch list all season to ensure he's not the next Lindros.

Fortunately, the Bruins don't face the Flyers until February.

Carl Soderberg: "Sweden > Providence"

The Boston Globe reports today... well, pretty much the same stuff I reported two weeks ago. But unlike this humble blogger, they're on Pete Chiarelli's speed dial. Therefore they scooped me on this one: Carl Soderberg has decided to forgo Bruins training camp and spend at least one more season in Sweden.

As mentioned in my prior post, Soderberg's ongoing will-he-or-won't-he drama has proved a tad deflating for Bruins fans. At one point his acquisition from St. Louis (for odd-goalie-out Hannu Toivonen) seemed like a shrewd swap -- a mediocre backup goalie who would never see time in Boston for a high-scoring forward capable of partnering with the likes of Savard and Bergeron.

But as is so often the case with European superstars, Soderberg has been less than enthusiastic about playing in North America. According to Chiarelli, the Swede is holding out until he can be an impact player in the NHL. In other words, he wants assurance that he won't simply be dumped in Providence after training camp. Sounds reasonable enough.

But there's a lot lingering in between the lines. Soderberg is 22. He would be trying out for a team heavy on prospects in the 18-22 age bracket. Why does he feel he can't already be an "impact" player in a youth-heavy organization? Is he really capable of hanging with NHL talent if he can't beat out Blake Wheeler for a roster spot? Isn't he at least confident enough to attend camp first, and then make a decision about his prospects? Frankly, a 22-year-old who is almost certain he'll end up in the minors isn't much of a prospect to begin with.

More importantly, there's the matter of what would happen if Soderberg did commit to playing on this side of the pond. Clearly he's more comfortable staying in Sweden and will only make the leap if he's assured of an NHL-sized paycheck. We've heard this story before: European dynamo becomes sulking recluse after cutting ties with home country to play in big, strange American city. The last thing the Bruins need on the roster is a guy who's pining over a girl in Stockholm during the second overtime of a playoff game in Montreal.

With Phil Kessel and Blake Wheeler already fitting the role of "budding young star with character issues", Soderberg might find his decision to be a bit more permanent than he expects.