Draft day rumor: Nathan Beaulieu to Bruins?

Been hearing a lot of talk about Saint John defenseman Nathan Beaulieu to the Bruins last night and today.

This would be an off-the-board pick, because Beaulieu is not considered in that established top-nine (or Divine Nine- h/t DT) but he's the kind of character player the B's covet and gravitate toward.

The pros of Beaulieu are his size, skating, puck-moving ability/PP skills and grit/toughness.

The cons are that some question his hockey sense (while others list it as a strength- consider opinions divided) and the fact that he failed to generate a lot of offense on the CHL's most dominant team. The pros outweigh the cons, but even some scouts like Red Line's Kyle Woodlief, for example, feel that a top-10 selection for Beaulieu is too high for him.

If Beaulieu is in fact the guy, there are bound to be some disappointed folks out there, just as there will be some happy ones. Given the position of the pick, you hope there is more untapped potential he has yet to show off.

However, if Beaulieu does prove to be Boston's man at nine, there will be some second-guessing involved, even if a lot of the media sources seem to be impressed with him and will likely tout him as a good pick by the Bruins there.

As the 80's group Asia once sang, "Only time will tell..."