By: Mark Allred | Follow me on Twitter @BlackAndGold277
Earlier this afternoon, the Boston Bruins announced that the team had recalled veteran forward Jayson Megna from the American Hockey League Providence Bruins. The 34-year-old center returns to the National Hockey League after his time with the Anaheim Ducks and Colorado Avalance in the 2022-23 campaign.
This season, with the top minor-pro affiliate of the Bruins organization, the 6′-1″-195-pound forward appeared in 67 games for AHL Providence, posting 18-33-51 numbers. The Providence team has yet to name a team captain, and this season, head coach Ryan Mougenel and staff heavily relied on Megna’s experience and hockey IQ. Megna, defensemen Dan Renouf, and Michael Callahan served as assistants throughout the season with group leadership over one prominent voice in the room and on the ice.
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Megna was another sneakingly good free agent signing from Don Sweeney and the scouting staff when identifying holes in the lineup with players departing the organization. With 51 points in 67 games, Megna has played alongside the Boston Bruins prospect who continue to cut their teeth in minor-pro hockey and are close to crossing the threshold of NHL roster consistency. Boston has done so well in facilitating talent to play alongside developing players and putting them in the best situations to work on all the attributes of an NHL prospect.
This recall to Boston for the first time as an organizational member is likely a thank-you game for Megna and his continued effort with the Providence Bruins. He did everything the parent NHL club has asked from a veteran who continues to grind it out and be considered for NHL time as his career continues. This is also an opportunity for the B’s to take another look with his time up and evaluate as Jayson is set to become an Unrestricted Free Agent this offseason.
As someone who covers the Providence Bruins regularly, it would be a no-brainer if the Boston Bruins offered Megna another one-year, two-way contract to still play a part in the organization, guiding the Bruins’s young prospects and good habits of developmental hockey.
The NHL Bruins are projected to have close to $21 million in available cap space, so there’s plenty to go around when looking for talent this offseason, but also enough to address the minor-pro system with players who are NHL-ready at a moment’s notice by either earned promotions or emergency recalls.
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