Training camp is right around the corner 
Rolston, B's eager to get started
Ready or not, the opening of Bruins training camp is just a few days away and, given that, players have been filtering back to Wilmington to shed the effects of an offseason that was much longer than they expected it to be, thanks to the B's first-round playoff ouster at the hands of the Canadiens.
Missing from this summer was the buzz Bruins management created throughout the league last year when it uncharacteristically went out and spent big money on free agents Martin Lapointe, Sean O'Donnell and Rob Zamuner. Back seemingly is the feeling within the fandom that it's business-as-usual for the Bruins brass, who have long been perceived as caring more about the bottom line than winning.
Not only did the most promising season in years end with a surprisingly early exit, it was followed by the loss of de facto captain Bill Guerin and the presumed loss of goaltender Byron Dafoe, who remains unsigned. The B's did sign a couple of players - forward Michal Grosek and defenseman Bryan Berard - with some very interesting upside, but optimism is not exactly abounding.
Brian Rolston was one of a handful of veterans back in town last week. And while he acknowledged the player losses were a solid blow, he doesn't believe it's a fatal one. And he thinks the loss of the two veterans could open up some very promising opportunities for young players like Joe Thornton.
``You just can't replace a guy like Billy who scores 40 goals. Maybe you can, but it's not likely. And a guy like Byron, he won us a ton of games last year,'' said Rolston. ``But it'll be good for Johnny (Grahame) and (newcomer) Steve Shields and there'll be some good competition between each other. But I feel confident about our team and going into it.
``You're right, we definitely have a hole there on the right side. But I think we had such great depth last year - everyone saw that - and I think that's going to be our strong point again this year. We've got a ton of great forwards, I don't know where everyone's going to fit in, but it should be interesting.''
Guerin's leadership will be missed, said Rolston, but he believes Thornton can emerge as a powerful force both in the locker room and on the ice, where he often seemed a bit too deferential to Guerin.
``Joe is going to be a big leader this year,'' said Rolston. ``In the past with (Jason Allison) and Bill here, he hasn't really had to step up as a leader but I think this could be the year for him to do that. I think there's plenty of guys who can do the job.''
As for last year's playoff meltdown, Rolston said the team should have learned a lesson.
``We're a young team and we have to learn what it takes to win, look back and know what we did wrong and what we should have done,'' he said. ``And we'll just take it into the playoffs this year.''
=====
Samuelsson gets jump
Another early arrival for the B's is Swedish forward Martin Samuelsson, the second of the Bruins' two first-round picks in 2000. The B's hope the lanky, 6-foot-2 left winger can make the jump to the NHL and provide some solid two-way play.
Samuelsson, still suffering jet-lag from his weekend flight from Stockholm, is getting an early education on North American hockey.
``It's a smaller rink and everything's moving a lot faster. And it's going to get even faster,'' said Samuelsson, who has played well in the World Junior Championships. ``I think I need a little more stamina and work on my shot. It has to be a little quicker. And I have to work on my upper body physique. I've got things to work on.''
He'd love to stick with the big club, but he knows he's taking a big step as a hockey player.
'I'm prepared to play either in Providence or Boston, but we'll see what happens,'' he said.
Rolston, B's eager to get started
Ready or not, the opening of Bruins training camp is just a few days away and, given that, players have been filtering back to Wilmington to shed the effects of an offseason that was much longer than they expected it to be, thanks to the B's first-round playoff ouster at the hands of the Canadiens.
Missing from this summer was the buzz Bruins management created throughout the league last year when it uncharacteristically went out and spent big money on free agents Martin Lapointe, Sean O'Donnell and Rob Zamuner. Back seemingly is the feeling within the fandom that it's business-as-usual for the Bruins brass, who have long been perceived as caring more about the bottom line than winning.
Not only did the most promising season in years end with a surprisingly early exit, it was followed by the loss of de facto captain Bill Guerin and the presumed loss of goaltender Byron Dafoe, who remains unsigned. The B's did sign a couple of players - forward Michal Grosek and defenseman Bryan Berard - with some very interesting upside, but optimism is not exactly abounding.
Brian Rolston was one of a handful of veterans back in town last week. And while he acknowledged the player losses were a solid blow, he doesn't believe it's a fatal one. And he thinks the loss of the two veterans could open up some very promising opportunities for young players like Joe Thornton.
``You just can't replace a guy like Billy who scores 40 goals. Maybe you can, but it's not likely. And a guy like Byron, he won us a ton of games last year,'' said Rolston. ``But it'll be good for Johnny (Grahame) and (newcomer) Steve Shields and there'll be some good competition between each other. But I feel confident about our team and going into it.
``You're right, we definitely have a hole there on the right side. But I think we had such great depth last year - everyone saw that - and I think that's going to be our strong point again this year. We've got a ton of great forwards, I don't know where everyone's going to fit in, but it should be interesting.''
Guerin's leadership will be missed, said Rolston, but he believes Thornton can emerge as a powerful force both in the locker room and on the ice, where he often seemed a bit too deferential to Guerin.
``Joe is going to be a big leader this year,'' said Rolston. ``In the past with (Jason Allison) and Bill here, he hasn't really had to step up as a leader but I think this could be the year for him to do that. I think there's plenty of guys who can do the job.''
As for last year's playoff meltdown, Rolston said the team should have learned a lesson.
``We're a young team and we have to learn what it takes to win, look back and know what we did wrong and what we should have done,'' he said. ``And we'll just take it into the playoffs this year.''
=====
Samuelsson gets jump
Another early arrival for the B's is Swedish forward Martin Samuelsson, the second of the Bruins' two first-round picks in 2000. The B's hope the lanky, 6-foot-2 left winger can make the jump to the NHL and provide some solid two-way play.
Samuelsson, still suffering jet-lag from his weekend flight from Stockholm, is getting an early education on North American hockey.
``It's a smaller rink and everything's moving a lot faster. And it's going to get even faster,'' said Samuelsson, who has played well in the World Junior Championships. ``I think I need a little more stamina and work on my shot. It has to be a little quicker. And I have to work on my upper body physique. I've got things to work on.''
He'd love to stick with the big club, but he knows he's taking a big step as a hockey player.
'I'm prepared to play either in Providence or Boston, but we'll see what happens,'' he said.
