Bruins coach believes Eriksson can fill void left by Iginla's departure

Jarome Iginla's offseason departure left a big hole in the Boston Bruins' offense, but coach Claude Julien believes underachieving forward Loui Eriksson can fill that void.

Iginla led the team with 30 goals while playing top-line minutes, while Eriksson managed 10 goals and 37 points in 61 games in his first season with Boston. Losing Iginla will only mean more opportunities for Eriksson to prove he's still the player he once was with the Dallas Stars.

"We don't feel like we're in a real tough situation," Julien told reporters during a conference call on Thursday. "We lost Jarome, but I think Loui Eriksson is a player that can be even better than he was last year. I think we started seeing that at the end of the year and he could be a replacement for Jarome."

Eriksson recorded four goals and 13 assists in his last 22 regular-season games but was a far cry from his 70-point seasons in Dallas. He saw his power-play ice time diminish slightly with Boston but should see more man-advantage minutes without Iginla above him on the depth chart.

Health will also play a role for the 29-year-old Eriksson, who missed sizable portions of last season due to injuries.