The Bruins began their off-season roster tinkering by
signing penalty-killing fourth-liner Dan Paille to a three-year/$3.9M deal and
newly acquired pending UFA Chris Bourque to a two year deal (the first of which
will be a two-year deal).
The speedy and versatile Paille blossomed into one of the
team’s best penalty killers during last year’s championship season and his
re-up ensures that at least two thirds of the team’s beloved fourth line will
be back for the ’12-’13 campaign. The contract gives the former Sabre
first-rounder a modest salary bump but, more importantly, locks him up for the
next three seasons.
Bourque, the son of the Bruins icon, told the me that he “was
pretty pumped” to learn that he’ll be pulling on the same Black and Gold that
his old man wore with distinction for two decades. “It’s going to be
unbelievable”, he said. “I put the jersey on before (as a kid) but it won’t
compare to pulling on the spoked-B (as an official member of the Bs
organization”.
The 26-year-old former Hershey Bear is capable of playing
all three forward positions. “I’m most comfortable on right wing but I’ll play
wherever they need me”, Bourque said. “I’m definitely excited and will have a
hard work of summer ahead of me”.
The acquisition and subsequent signing of Bourque is hardly
some Kent Dorfman legacy situation where the Bs “need the dues”. It’s quite the
opposite, in fact, because the 26-year-old led the AHL last season with 27-66—93
totals in 73 games and, depending on how negotiations go with guys like Chris
Kelley and Benoit Pouliot, the Massachusetts native could end up on the Opening
Night roster.
“I have no expectations yet but I want to play in the NHL,
that’s all”, he said. “I’m going into my eighth season and I’m not 19 anymore.”
Bourque stated that he’s cracked only one Opening Night roster (with the
Penguins in 2009) but feels that his many training camp experiences will only
help him this September. “I’ll know what to expect”.
As for the geographical aspect, the new father said that
playing locally, whether in Providence or Boston, would make things “so much
easier” for his family and said it would be a “luxury for us” to be so close to
home. His father, along with the rest of the family, was very excited about the
move. If Bourque was still unsigned on 7/1 (first day of free agency), the
Bruins were “definitely at the top of my list and it would’ve been an easy
decision.”
Given that’s it’s only June, he said that he has “no idea”
what number he’ll be sporting in the fall. But we can rule out 7 and 77.
