In a perfect black and gold world, defenseman Dennis Seidenberg was set to recover from a lacerated forearm and return to the Bruins lineup in time for the Stanley Cup Finals. 

Had the Bruins avoided squandering a 3-0 series lead to the Philadelphia Flyers and then managed to skate past the Montreal Canadiens in the conference finals, they would be battling the Chicago Blackhawks for the Cup this week and Seidenberg would be right there with them. 

Well, let’s just say that plan didn’t actually work out like anyone hoped. 

There may not be a ready blueprint from recovering from an epic playoff collapse such as befell the Bruins, but GM Peter Chiarelli has wasted no time doing his part to put key pieces of the B’s house back in order. 

Chiarelli and the Bruins locked Seidenberg, a potential unrestricted free agent, into a four-year contract Saturday. The reported $13 million deal will come with a reasonable $3.25 million annual salary cap and should initially assure the Bruins defense will remain highly competitive next season. 

Seidenberg only played 17 games for Boston after being acquired in a deadline day deal with the Florida Panthers, but in his limited tenure he showed he is a legitimate top four NHL defenseman. 

Generally skating with Zdeno Chara on the B’s top defensive pairing, the 28-year-old Seidenberg contributed two goals and seven assists for the Bruins and an impressive plus-nine rating. He generated an additional 23 points (2 goals, 21 assists) with Florida, his 32 total points and 28 assists for the season was the best offensive showing of his seven-year career. 

“We’re happy to get this done,” said Chiarelli. “When we acquired Dennis we valued him as a strong two-way (defenseman) and he showed that style of play. He showed his strength, he showed it in a match-up role and he showed an offensive side to his game too that we knew he had.” 

With Chara, Seidenberg, Dennis Wideman, Andrew Ference and Matt Hunwick already under contract, if Chiarelli wants to keep the bulk of the Bruins defense intact for next season he can do so. The team still needs to come to terms with restricted free agent Mark Stuart and attempt to re-sign Johnny Boychuk who could become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but for the most part a Bruins team that gave up the fewest goals in the league last season, could basically have the same defenseman next season. 

“We’re able to move into the free agency period knowing we’ve got a very good semblance of a roster,” said Chiarelli. “We still have some significant planning to do and are continuing to work on it.” 

By taking care of business early in the process and getting Seidenberg signed  Chiarelli also has given the Bruins some interesting flexibility moving forward. 

The team now has the option of including a role defenseman in any possible draft day deals. The B’s have both the second and the 15th pick in the opening round of the draft in Los Angeles on June 25 and now have some potential bargaining chips for moving up with either pick. 

Moreover, with the bulk of the team’s defenseman under contract, the Bruins could enter the free agent signing period on July 1 without the need to focus on adding defenseman, but instead could concentrate on addressing the team’s goal scoring deficiencies. 

In short, by inking Seidenberg the Bruins managed to both maintain strength in their defensive game, while creating the possibility to further improve their offense. Had they lost Seidenberg to the free agent market, they could have been scrambling to fill significant voids on two fronts. 

For his part, Seidenberg also liked getting the deal done early and staying in Boston. 

“For the short period of time that I played with the guys it was a lot of fun,” said Seidenberg. “Going on the ice in front of sold out building every night, playing in front of fans who are really knowledgeable, I think made the difference. In the free agent market you never know what will happen.” 

Prior to inking Seidenberg Saturday the Bruins completed an evaluation of the lacerated forearm tendon he suffered in a contest in Toronto on April 6. 

That injury has healed. While the wounds suffered by Bruins fans after the team’s playoff collapse still maybe lingering, Saturday’s deal should help the mending process.