WILMINGTON, Mass. -- The losses didn't end for the Boston Bruins when they fell in the first round of the playoffs after posting the best record in the Eastern Conference.

	McLaren

Since then, they lost 41-goal scorer Bill Guerin to free agency and chose not to re-sign No. 1 goalie Byron Dafoe. And now one of their best defensemen isn't in camp.

Kyle McLaren wants to be traded after a second consecutive injury-plagued season and a suspension in the fourth game of the playoffs for a check that put Montreal's Richard Zednik in the hospital with a broken nose, concussion, cuts on his face and a bruised throat.

McLaren, a restricted free agent after seven seasons with the Bruins, wants a ''change of scenery,'' general manager Mike O'Connell said Thursday at the opening of training camp.

''His injuries his last couple of years have been very difficult for him. I think that's the basis of it,'' O'Connell said.

A trade in the near future appears unlikely because teams are reluctant to give the Bruins what they want -- a physical defenseman like McLaren.

Dafoe's departure after five seasons with the Bruins apparently was sealed by his mediocre play in the six-game playoff series against Montreal, which finished eighth in the East.

Steve Shields, traded from Anaheim, and the backup last year, John Grahame, are the top candidates to succeed Dafoe.

''On a team like this, you don't need great goaltending every night to win, but the first few months of the springtime (in the playoffs), you do need great goaltending every night, and that's what I plan on doing,'' Shields said.

Dafoe hasn't signed with another team, and O'Connell didn't rule out his return.

''Anything's possible,'' he said. ''I'm very comfortable with what we have in goal right now.''

He said he hasn't talked to Dafoe or McLaren about working out new deals.

They didn't agree to one with Guerin, who took his offense and leadership to Dallas while the Bruins didn't add a big scorer to replace him.

''We're going to miss Billy, no question about that, both on the ice and off the ice,'' coach Robbie Ftorek said. ''But we really believe that we'll have some people who will fill in that spot.''

Glen Murray scored 41 goals last season and center Brian Rolston could improve on his 31 goals.

The absence of McLaren should be offset somewhat by the addition of Bryan Berard, who played 82 games last season for the New York Rangers. The 25-year-old Berard missed more than a year after a serious injury to his right eye threatened his career.

He's compensated for his limited vision in part by swiveling his head more.

''I'm in good shape. I'm ready to go,'' he said. ''The eye's not an issue. It's been over two years now. My left eye's taken over and I'm used to playing.''

The Bruins who were with the team last year learned that finishing first in the regular season means nothing in the playoffs.

''We brought respect back to the organization to give the fans something to cheer about,'' Rolston said. ''You have to learn from those things and that's how you move on and that's how you become a champion.''