BHN Daily: Boston Bruins Defense Hurting, Bruins Need Coyle To Step Up

The Boston Bruins are off to a great start this season and the scary thing for the East Division is that their depth players haven’t even come close to playing to their potential. So what happens when center Charlie Coyle gets going?

Speaking of needing depth, they’re going to need it soon because, after that 4-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday, they might be about to hit that proverbial wall thanks to their ever-changing schedule. With a banged-up defense, will the Bruins need to dig down into Providence (AHL)?

That and more in the latest BHN Daily:

Boston Bruins defensemen Kevan Miller, Matt Grzelcyk, and Jakub Zboril were all absent from practice Monday and the Bruins may have to dig into the blue line depth chart for their next game, Thursday against the New Jersey Devils. What if that depth isn’t enough though? (Boston Hockey Now)

Speaking of depth, heading into this season, one could easily make the case that the Boston Bruins were one of the deepest teams up the middle with Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Charlie Coyle, and Sean Kuraly. Well, that’s still true but unlike the blue line where health is affecting the depth, the Bruins center strength hasn’t been as strong due to a slow start for Charlie Coyle. As my partner in crime Joe Haggerty pointed out Monday, the Bruins need the Coyle of the last two seasons to come back ASAP! (Boston Hockey Now)

In an effort to get his Top 6 forward group going, Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy has shuffled the deck up front, slotting winger Jake DeBrusk on the right side of the ‘Perfection Line’ and David Pastrnak on David Krejci’s right side. (Boston Hockey Now)

The realigned divisions and the fact each team plays each other at least eight times has definitely made for closer games and rivalries building or coming back but it’s also preventing us from really seeing how the rest of the NHL is performing. FOBHN Kevin Paul Dupont gets you up-to-date with some of the big stories outside the East Division. (Boston Globe)

If New York Rangers castoff Tony DeAngelo is going to get another chance in the NHL, shouldn’t Josh Ho-Sang? (NYI Hockey Now) 

Can the San Jose Sharks really count on the Ottawa Senators version of Erik Karlsson to still be there night in and night out? (San Jose Hockey Now)

On a sad note, last week plenty of radio people I know in Canada were suddenly – and without notice – literally pulled off the air and laid off. It was a dark week in our industry and a reminder that we all need to do what we can to keep sports radio around. (Toronto Sun)