Bruins hurtin’ for help

While a deal isn’t imminent, Boston Herald’s Steve Conroy reports that Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli is looking to bring in reinforcements to bolster his club’s line-up.

With a number of injuries, including defensemen Aaron Ward (broken foot, two weeks), Andrew Alberts (headaches, indefinite) and Bobby Allen (back), the Bruins need all the help they can get. And, yes, that’s even after trading for Anaheim Ducks blueliner Shane Hnidy.

Despite adequate performances from youngsters Matt Lashoff and Matt Hunwick, Chiarelli says he continues to shop around the league.

“We’ve got two young guys who’ve done OK. They’ve had their ups and downs. They’re part of our team, maybe more for the future, but we need to shore up our depth,” Chiarelli said.

With goalie Manny Fernandez done for the season, the Bruins will have his $4.3 million salary cap hit to use to acquire the help they need.

On the other hand, the Bruins remain hopeful that forward Patrice Bergeron (concussion, indefinite) can return to action at some point this season. Thus, it’s highly unlikely Chiarelli will use Bergeron’s salary to add players via trade.

“Shortly after he was injured, I’ve been saying that I’m operating under the assumption that he’s not coming back,” the GM said. “I guess that’s not entirely accurate because while there might be a chance he won’t come back, it doesn’t mean I’m going to go out and replace his salary, because there is a chance he might come back. I don’t want to put any pressure on Patrice, he knows that and we just want him to be healthy.”