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| Carl Soderberg |
After a long drawn out, back and forth, controversial
process, Carl Soderberg was finally awarded to the Boston Bruins Saturday
evening. The Swede was denied exit by Sweden’s Hockey Federation because of a
supposed contract breach. The Federation claimed he was under contract with
them, in addition to Linkopings (Soderberg’s SEL club). The B’s had negotiated
for his rights and then proceeded to sign him to a three year contract. The NHL
was forced to intervene, ruling that Soderberg’s release from Linkopings voided
any other contractual obligations, thus freeing the forward and allowing him to
join the Bruins.
Player Profile:
The St. Louis Blues selected Soderberg in the 2004 NHL Entry
Draft. Boston acquired his rights in a trade that sent goaltender Hannu
Toivonen to the Blues back in 2007. The highly regarded 27-year old has spent
his entire professional career (10 seasons) playing in Sweden.
Carl Soderberg’s offensive talent is well documented. The
6-foot-3, 207lb, winger recorded 31 goals and 29 assists (60 Pts) in 54 games
this year playing for Linkopings HC of the Swedish Elite League.
For a bigger guy, Soderberg possesses a polished skating
ability. He is agile on his feet and has the capability to explode past
defenders at will. The power-forward shoots the puck with great accuracy and
can score from a variety of different areas. Not only does he have a refined
scoring touch around the net, his terrific vision and passing ability makes he
him a duel threat in the attacking end.
His defensive skills are still continuing to improve as he
steadily matures into a two-way player. In the mean time, Soderberg’s size,
strength, speed, and sound technical abilities will be more than sufficient in
providing for the Bruins.
Expectations:
Don’t expect Carl Soderberg to be any sort of savior that
leads the Bruins to a Stanley Cup title. Instead, view him as an important
piece to the puzzle. Boston’s success still hinges on the health of Patrice
Bergeron and the production from their current top forwards. He will join the
B’s immediately upon arrival and should serve as an immense offensive upgrade
no matter where he is slated in the lineup.
Adding another weapon to the mix just in time for the
playoffs increases the Bruins chances for success, it does not guarantee them
anything. It’s clear this guy can light the lamp, of course the rate at which
he will be able to do so remains to be seen. Playing in a new league will take
some adjustments. Soderberg needs to prove he can withstand the increased
physical grind of NHL hockey.
He projects as a top six forward in the Boston lineup. He
would benefit from playing alongside a guy like David Krejci. For now, Claude
Julien will likely play the newcomer alongside a defensive minded player, such
as Chis Kelly or Rich Peverley.
Once Soderberg arrives and practices with the team, everyone will have a
better understanding as to where he will be placed.
What impresses me most about Carl Soderberg is his puck
handling abilities. In watching several videos of Soderberg, it appears he is
extremely strong on the puck and can dangle through traffic if need be. The
manner in which he does so reminds me of the way Jaromir Jagr handles the
biscuit. He drives the net similar to Milan Lucic, and has a quick release similar to that of Tyler Seguin. This kid looks promising.
