BRIGHTON, Mass. – Christian Ehrhoff reported to Boston over the weekend and made his first appearance in a Black and Gold uniform on Monday morning as part of a practice group that included fellow World Cup returnees Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Zdeno Chara.
The lefty-shooting Ehrhoff was playing on the right side for portions of practice and has played both sides in his NHL career that’s taken him through San Jose, Buffalo, Vancouver, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles and Chicago over the past decade.
“I think [the World Cup] definitely helps. We were playing at the highest level of competition there’s ever been in one tournament, so obviously I want to take that momentum and bring it here,” said Ehrhoff, coming off his worst NHL season with a combined two goals and 12 points along with a minus-11 rating in 48 games for the Kings and Blackhawks. “I think in LA the fit for me just wasn’t there. Then it kind of went downhill for me and I lost my confidence. At the end of the season I went to the World Championships and had a good tournament there. Now with the World Cup, I think my confidence is up again and that’s why I’m going to have a better year.”
Claude Julien said he liked what he’d seen out of Ehrhoff while playing with Zdeno Chara on Team Europe and those in the German defenseman’s camp feel pretty strongly he’s going to get an NHL contract out of the tryout.
“He’s a good-sized defenseman, skates well and moves the puck well. What I liked about him, and I told them that, was that his compete level was pretty good,” said Julien, who saw Ehrhoff up close in the two final games against Team Canada in the World Cup. “If he comes here and competes the same way then he’s somebody that could make things interesting for us. I really felt that he was a good addition to our group trying to make the team on a PTO, and we’ll see where we go from there.
“He’s certainly deserving of coming here, and if he plays [for us] the way he did [in the World Cup] then then there’s a chance he’s going to make our back end better.”
The presence of the veteran D-man has sparked speculation that one of the Bruins’ D-men could be on the move in a trade, but there’s also the simple possibility that the 32-year-old might be a better option among Boston’s top-six than some of their current players under contract.
Boston Bruins
That being said, Ehrhoff also represents major competition for young D-man Joe Morrow, who is trying to hold onto his spot as the seventh defensemen coming out of training camp.
Ehrhoff marks the only player in camp present on a tryout basis after the B’s released Peter Mueller from his PTO on Sunday following a couple of decent preseason appearances.