AHL Transactions

Bruins Extend Qualifying Offers To Six Players

/ Max Mainville / Leave a comment
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PHOTO CREDITS: (Maddie Meyer / Getty Images Sport / Getty)

By: Max Mainville | Check me out on Twitter @tkdmaxbjj 

As July 1st, or better known as the start of NHL Free Agency Frenzy, gets closer and closer, teams around the NHL are looking to re-sign the players that are going to be around for a long time. Boston has some key players within the system that are going to become free agents, however, the biggest names – Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, and Danton Heinen – are all restricted free agents (RFA).

In order to retain negotiating rights on these RFAs and others within the Bruins organization, Boston had to extend qualifying offers to six players. For a brief description on what exactly a qualifying offer is, below is a statement from CapFriendly.

  • A qualifying offer is an official Standard Player Contract (SPC) offer which shall be 1 year in length, and which can be subject to salary arbitration should the player be eligible.

  • Clubs have until the later of June 25th or the first Monday after the Entry Draft to submit Qualifying Offers.

  • Qualifying Offers apply to Group 2 and Group 4 free agents.

  • Submitting a Qualifying Offers gives the prior club the right of first refusal to match any offer sheet submitted, or receive draft pick compensation.

  • If the player rejects the qualifying offer, they remain an RFA and their rights are retained by the team.

  • If a player does not receive a qualifying offer, the player becomes a UFA. – CapFriendly.com

As mentioned above, if the player decides to reject the offer, then he remains an RFA and can negotiate a new deal with the team. For the players that did not receive an offer at all, then they will enter the free agent market as a UFA and teams can no longer receive draft compensation in return.

Here are the six players that the Boston Bruins extended a qualifying offer to:

The qualifying offer depends on the salary that the player made in the previous season with their respective club. More on that from CapFriendly below:

  • The qualifying offer is calculated from the players base salary (NHL salary minus signing bonus), and at minimum must meet the seasons minimum salary requirements:

    • 110% of the base salary if the base salary is less than or equal to $660,000

    • 105% of the base salary if the base salary is greater than $660,000 or less than $1,000,000. However, this qualifying offer cannot exceed $1,000,000.

    • 100% of the base salary if the base salary is equal to or greater than $1,000,000.

    • CBA Reference 10.2 (a) (ii) – CapFriendly.com

On their website, there is a tool that allows you to select a player that is currently an RFA and what exactly their qualifying offer is worth. Here are the results of that. It should be noted as well that all qualifying offers are only one year in length.

  • D Charlie McAvoy – $874,125
  • D Brandon Carlo – $874,125
  • F Peter Cehlarik – $735,000
  • F Ryan Fitzgerald – $787,500
  • F Danton Heinen – $874,125
  • F Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson – $874,125

Players can choose to accept the contract if the salary works for them in hopes for earning a larger deal once the one year expires. Forwards Ryan Fitzgerald and Peter Cehlarik will most likely agree to the qualifying offer that has been presented to them.

Evidentally, Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, and Danton Heinen will decline the qualifying offer as they are proven NHL players and will get a large payday very soon. By declining the offer, they remain RFAs and the Bruins do indeed keep their rights within the system.

Another player that will likely decline this qualifying offer is forward Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson who announced in May of this year that he has signed a contract with Vaxjo of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) for the 2019-20 campaign. GM Don Sweeney said in a press release that Forsbacka Karlsson wishes to be closer to his family while continuing his hockey development. This declining of the qualifying offer means that Boston will hold onto his rights for the time being.

Within the entire Boston Bruins organization, only one player did not receive a qualifying offer and that is forward Gemel Smith who skated in 47 games with the Providence Bruins, putting up 16-24-40 numbers. Smith will enter the 2019 Free Agent class as an unrestricted free agent.

July 1st is less than one week away and the free agency frenzy is only getting more and more interesting. Make sure to stay locked on Black N’ Gold Hockey for the latest on the Boston Bruins.

Check out this week’s Black N’ Gold Hockey Podcast Episode 132 below!!

No Brainer For Next Providence Bruins Team Captain

/ Mark Allred Jr / Leave a comment

( Photo Credit: @NHLBruins / BostonBruins.com )

By: Mark Allred  |  Follow Me On Twitter @BlackAndGold277

With the American Hockey Leagues Providence Bruins season over with the first-round Calder Cup Playoff elimination to the hands of the AHL’s best Charlotte Checkers, next seasons team will obviously see some new additions, but roles could also change when talking about leadership. Current Captain Jordan Szwarz who just finished his third season with the Providence club and posted 66-82-148 numbers in 185 games in that timeframe is on an expiring contract, and future playing in the Ocean State is uncertain.

The 27-year-old Szwarz who joined the Providence team as a free agent signing before the 2016-17 campaign immediately took on a leadership role with his arrival wearing the assistant captain label for his first two-years ultimately being named to the highest honor of captain for the length of last season.  So with the potential departure of Szwarz who’s played a significant middle depth role with the Bruins organization in emergency situations seeing 12 games in Boston earning three points, who could step into that role and lead the 2019-20 Providence Bruins?

His Name Is Weymouth, Massachusetts Native Paul Carey

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Carey, a 30-year-old versatile forward came to Providence on January 11th, 2019, when he was traded to the NHL Bruins from the Ottawa Senators straight up for defenseman Cody Goloubef. This was Carey’s second tour of duty with the AHL Bruins as he played 17 games after being traded from the Colorado Avalanche to Boston on March 2nd, 2015. In those 17 games, Paul posted seven points but the second trade that landed him in Rhode Island this year had him on the better part of the score sheet and made an immediate impact upon his arrival.

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While in Ontario, Canada with the Ottawa Senators organization, Carey’s numbers were different as he seemed heavy on the “pass first” motto with 5-22-27 numbers in 29 games with the AHL’s Belleville Senators but with his addition to the Providence lineup and solid 30 games going the opposite from his days in Belleville posting 22-11-33 numbers to end the regular 2018-19 season. His first ten games with Providence was certainly a “system shock” and a time of adjustment posting 5-4-9 numbers but his last 20 games were honestly a pleasure to watch going 17-7-24 to end the year.

Here’s Why Paul Carey Is My Pick For The Next Providence Captian

Carey’s stats as a journeyman AHL’er are 106-136-242 in 346 career games so at his age the trend is to decline on the stat sheet and overall game, but in Paul’s situation as a player in his 30’s, the anomaly of him getting better especially with his point production is astonishing to me. Another thing that caught my attention has been the powerful words of the developing depth talking about leadership in Providence and members of that team who’ve gone out of their way to be a solid pro and lend advice to players about to cross the threshold of professional hockey careers at the highest level.

A perfect example was in an April 3rd, 2019, article by Boston Bruins reporter Eric Russo when he interviewed first-time recall Zach Senyshyn who had these positive things to say about the leadership core in Providence with mentions to veteran forwards Carey, Szwarz, and Lee Stempniak as seen below from Eric’s article quote below.

“I’m still a young kid and really learning from the older guys,” said Senyshyn, who posted back-to-back 40-plus goal campaigns with the Soo Greyhounds in his final two seasons with the club. “Having guys like Lee Stempniak and Paul Carey and Jordan Szwarz, learning from those guys, has really helped me take my game to the next level. A lot of that has to do with them.”

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As a Boston Bruins fan and one that follows the lower developmental depths of this NHL organization, naming Carey as the next captain of the Providence Bruins is a no brainer for me. Remains to be seen if Szwarz is brought back and the recent two-year, two-way contract agreement between the B’s and Carey just lines up this tremendous honor for me and believe if he’s not in the mix of the NHL Bruins lineup next season after training camp he’d be a solid pro and will do what it takes to continue to be a mentor in Providence.

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Bruins Recall Frederic, Senyshyn From Providence

/ bruinsguy33 / Leave a comment

430b74a297e8b2eca1709318e09ce873Photo Courtesy Of Yahoo! Sports

By: Garrett Haydon | Follow Me On Twitter @thesportsguy97

Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced today that the team has recalled forwards Trent Frederic and Zach Senyshyn from Providence on an emergency basis.

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Frederic has skated in 13 games for Boston this season, going scoreless. He made his NHL debut on January 29th against the Winnipeg Jets at the TD Garden. He has skated in 51 games for Providence this season, posting 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points. He also posted five goals and three assists for eight points in 13 appearances for Providence last season. The St. Louis, Missouri native was selected by the Bruins in the first round (29th overall) of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

Senyshyn has skated in 62 games for Providence this season, posting 14 goals and 10 assists for 24 points. Last season, he posted numbers of 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points in 66 games in Providence. Prior to turning pro, Senyshyn spent three seasons in the OHL with the Soo Greyhounds posting 114 goals and 63 assists for 177 points in 195 career games. The Ottawa, Ontario native was drafted by the Bruins in the first round (15th overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

Senyshyn will likely make his NHL debut tomorrow night in Minnesota as this could be a showcase for him to show what he has in his first career call up. Frederic should also see some playing over the next two games probably on the third line. Senyshyn should see time on the second line perhaps with David Krejci and potentially even time on the power play. Both guys have the ability to truly impress over these next two games and could develop some momentum into the next season when they attempt to make the big club in Boston.

Check out the available tickets from our advertising partner SeatGiant for your next Boston Bruins game. Click the link below, and when purchasing any event ticket, from the NHL, NBA, MLB, NFL to concerts and shows, please use discount code BNGP to save a little money. Thank You!  

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Bruins Sign Paul Carey To Two Year Extension

/ bruinsguy33 / Leave a comment

paul_carey_bruinsPhoto Courtesy Of NBC Sports

By: Garrett Haydon | Follow Me On Twitter @thesportsguy97

Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced this afternoon that the team has signed forward Paul Carey to a two year, two way extension through the 2020-21 NHL season with an annual cap hit of $700,000.

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Carey has skated in a pair of games for the Bruins this season and has skated in 23 games for Providence since being acquired from Ottawa on January 11th in exchange for defenseman Cody Goloubef. Carey has posted 16 goals and seven assists for Providence since the trade. Carey skated in five games for the Senators this season prior to the trade and had appeared in 29 games for AHL affiliate Belleville where he posted five goals and 22 assists for 27 points.

Carey has played for four teams prior the Bruins in his NHL career, Ottawa, New York Rangers, Washington and Colorado. He has appeared in 99 games, posting eight goals and eight assists for 16 points. The Boston native has also skated in four playoff games in his career. He was originally drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the fifth round (135th overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. Carey has looked pretty good in his short time in Boston and should be a valuable depth piece for the near future.

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Bruins Recall Connor Clifton and Paul Carey from Providence

/ bruinsguy33 / Leave a comment

AR-181128743Photo Courtesy Of The Patriot Ledger

By: Garrett Haydon | Follow Me On Twitter @thesportsguy97

On Wednesday afternoon, Bruins Head Coach Bruce Cassidy announced that the team had recalled defenseman Connor Clifton and forward Paul Carey from Providence.

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Clifton has skated in nine game for the Bruins this season, going scoreless. He made his NHL debut on November 16th in Dallas against the Stars. Clifton also has spent 53 games with Providence this season, posting six goals and 21 assists for 27 points. Carey has skated in 21 games for Providence since being traded from Ottawa, scoring 14 goals and adding six assists for 20 points. Carey made his NHL debut with the Colorado Avalanche on March 12th, 2014 against the Chicago Blackhawks

Clifton was originally drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in the fifth round (133rd overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. Carey was originally drafted by the Avalanche in the fifth round (135th overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry draft. Both players should see ice time as soon as tomorrow night as the Bruins continue to be banged up on the recent road trip. Clifton looked fairly solid in his time in Boston this season so he should be a good addition. Carey being an experienced player, should bring some stability to a lineup that desperately needs it.

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Bruins Recall Trent Frederic From Providence

/ bruinsguy33 / Leave a comment

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By: Garrett Haydon | Follow Me On Twitter @thesportsguy97

Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced Tuesday morning, that the team has recalled forward Trent Frederic from Providence on an emergency basis.

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Frederic has skated in 11 games for the Bruins this season, making his NHL debut on January 29th in Boston against the Winnipeg Jets. The 21-year-old has also skated in 45 games for Providence this season, posting 11 goals and nine assists for 20 points. He also skated in 13 games for Providence last season, posting five goals and three assists for eight points. Frederic spent two season at the University of Wisconsin, totaling 32 goals and 33 assists for 65 points in 66 career games.

The St. Louis, Missouri native was selected by the Bruins in the first round (29th overall) of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. Frederic played pretty solid hockey in his time with the varsity club, despite not posting any points. With the Bruins needing an extra body after sending down Lee Stempniak yesterday, Frederic got the call. It’ll be interesting to see where the young forward slides into the lineup but it’s probably assumed he takes up the third line center spot. This should mean that we see Charlie Coyle on the second line tonight against Columbus.

Check out the available tickets from our advertising partner SeatGiant for your next Boston Bruins game. Click the link below, and when purchasing any event ticket, from the NHL, NBA, MLB, NFL to concerts and shows, please use discount code BNGP to save a little money. Thank You!  

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Providence Bruins Acquire Stuart Percy In Exchange For Austin Fyten

/ Patrick Donnelly / 1 Comment
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( Photo Credit: Jason Scourse / Belleville Senators

By: Patrick Donnelly | Follow me on Twitter @PatDonn12

The Providence Bruins have acquired defenseman Stuart Percy from the Belleville Senators in exchange for forward Austin Fyten. Percy is a left-shot defender who has jumped around from Belleville, the Rochester Americans, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins after spending five years in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, mainly with the Leafs’ AHL-affiliate, the Toronto Marlies.

Percy, 25, is listed at 6-foot-1, 193 pounds, and will add depth to the defense of the P-Bruins, who are gearing up for another run in the Calder Cup Playoffs. The former 25th-overall pick in 2011, Percy has only played in 12 NHL games–all with the Maple Leafs–registering three assists, two penalty minutes, and a minus-6 rating.

In 322 games played in the AHL, Percy has a total of 20 goals and 125 points to go along with a plus-19 rating and 177 penalty minutes. In 67 games played with the Rochester last season, Percy had a career season, with totals of 7-27-34 and a plus-7 rating, career-highs in all four categories.

This year, through 41 games-played with Belleville, the Oakville, Ontario native has 2-17-19 totals. In 37 games played during the Calder Cup Playoffs, Percy has totals of 1-9-10 with a minus-6 rating.

In 45 games played for the P-Bruins, Fyten has three goals and six assists for nine points to go along with 55 penalty minutes and a minus-11 rating. In addition to Providence, the 27-year-old has spent time with the Texas Stars, Oklahoma City Barons, Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and Hershey Bears.

In 274 career games in the AHL, the Sundre, Alberta native has 23 goals and 65 points in addition to 307 penalty minutes and a rating of minus-20. With Oklahoma City in 2013-14, Fyten set career-highs in goals, assists, points, and plus-minus, with totals of 7-13-20 and a plus-7 rating.

Fyten (6-foot-1, 185 pounds) has been a part of two playoff runs, one with Texas and another with Oklahoma City. In 14 games played in the playoffs, the left-handed center has numbers of 5-1-6 with a rating of plus-2.

Check out the available tickets from our advertising partner SeatGiant for your next Boston Bruins game. Click the link below, and when purchasing any event ticket, from the NHL, NBA, MLB, NFL to concerts and shows, please use discount code BNGP to save a little money. Thank You! 

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Bruins Prospects Cehlarik And Kuhlman Sent To Providence

/ Mark Allred Jr / Leave a comment

By: Mark Allred  |  Follow Me On Twitter @BlackAndGold277

The National Hockey Leagues Boston Bruins have made a few additions to the roster via trades in the last week to beat today’s 3pm EST. trade deadline and with those moves come sacrifices to facilitate roster availability. Today after making a trade with the New Jersey Devils which brought veteran forward Marcus Johansson the Bruins announced that prospect forwards Peter Cehlarik and Kardon Kuhlman have been returned to the Providence Bruins the clubs top minor-pro affiliate in the American Hockey League.

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Peter Cehlarik

( Photo Credit: NHL.com )

The 6′-2″ 203-pound Slovakian native has certainly racked up the miles this season traveling from Providence, Rhode Island to the Massachusetts State Capitol when recalled. Well, the former 2013 third-round selection of the B’s (90th Overall) is back on his way down south to join his AHL team where he’s spent a majority of this hockey season.  Cehlarik has played in 14 games for his parent NHL club and has chipped in offensively with 4-2-6 numbers in that timeframe and has 10-19-39 totals with Providence in 39 appearances.

Cehlarik is one of my favorite prospects lately for his versatility as a big rangy forward, but the way he’s developed in the AHL and always at the highest priority when emergency recalls or loan assignments happen. Peter has seen this type of up and down movement on the regular and should report to Providence with his head high and ready to get to work.  Although today was most likely an off-day because of the three games Providence played this past weekend, he should be involved in practice for the rest of the week and be ready before the team plays the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in downtown PVD on Friday night.

If Peter actually remains with Providence for the remainder of the season, he will be a huge upgrade with 20 games to play as the B’s look for their seventh straight Calder Cup Playoff appearance, and they would certainly welcome back his hard work and leadership capabilities. He’s had a decent career in the AHL obviously producing more when it comes to points at the lower level.  He has 90 points in 123 career games in the AHL and 5-5-10 in 31 games for the NHL Bruins.

Karson Kuhlman

( Photo Credit: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images )

Bruins NCAA scouting staff quickly took notice of Kuhlman’s speed and creativity with rumors of B’s having eyes going back to his Junior year at the University of Minnesota-Duluth possibly earlier as he posted 80 points in 166 career games. His best year by far of his collegiate career in the land of ten thousand lakes and growing up in nearby Esko, Minnesota was his senior year when he captained his Bulldog team to an NCAA Men’s Division 1 National Championship. After his final season which brought him his highest career goal total of 13, the Boston Bruins came down quickly from circling above like a hungry predator up in the air and signed him as an undrafted free agent to a two-year entry-level contract worth $140K in the AHL and $750K at the NHL level.

In his first season with the Providence club the 5′-11″ 185-pound forward has appeared in 50 games and has 12-13-25 numbers in that timeframe. Before his first-ever NHL recall, the 23-year-old went through a slight struggle only producing 2 points in six games. What I believe got the attention of head coach Jay Leach and ultimately a message to higher members in the Bruins management was his fantastic play through his career-high point streak where he produced 7-7-14 numbers in the previous 14 games before the aforementioned struggle before his recall and NHL debut.

In his first four NHL games, I thought the speedy forward played well and certainly caught the eye of Bruins Head Coach Bruce Cassidy who put him in multiple situations and earning more confidence from the bench boss with increased minutes. His second career NHL game will be one he’ll never forget as the young forward got his first NHL goal against the Los Angeles Kings. When talking about his minutes, it was really good to see that he went from under ten in his NHL debut to a little over 14 minutes in his final game against St. Louis before leaving for Providence.

Kuhlman’s addition moving forward with Providence is going to be important for both sides as he’ll continue to develop and be a key member in coach Jay Leach’s offensive arsenal with 20 games remaining to help seal a playoff spot. His speed and hockey IQ are something to watch when he possesses the puck, but he does a lot of great things off the puck that I was very surprised at with his transition from the NCAA to the AHL in his rookie season.

Check out the available tickets from our advertising partner SeatGiant for your next Boston Bruins game. Click the link below, and when purchasing any event ticket, from the NHL, NBA, MLB, NFL to concerts and shows, please use discount code BNGP to save a little money. Thank You!

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Bruins Assign Forward Peter Cehlarik to Providence

/ Yanni Latzanakis / Leave a comment

( Photo Credit: Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images )

By: Yanni Latzanakis  |  Follow Me On Twitter:  @yanlatz

On Wednesday, February 20, Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced that Peter Cehlarik would be assigned to the American Hockey League affiliate Providence Bruins.

This move is to clear a roster spot for the newly acquired Weymouth, MA native Charlie Coyle. Just before the Bruins took on the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday night, the Bruins announced the trade that sent Bruins Forward Ryan Donato and a conditional 5th round pick to the Minnesota Wild for Charlie Coyle.

Peter Cehlarik has also been battling a lower-body injury that kept him out of the lineup for the Bruins annual meeting at the Shark Tank in San Jose on Monday, February 18 that proved to be a thrilling 6-5 overtime win. Bruce Cassidy announced that Cehlarik was battling the injury and could have returned Wednesday in Las Vegas but targeted Saturday as a more realistic return date. This, however, all came before the Bruins made a move to acquire Charlie Coyle and could change the timing of Cehlarik’s return.

The Bruins needed to make a roster spot for Charlie Coyle, and with the recent injury to Cehlarik, it made sense to send Cehlarik down to Providence. It is likely that once Cehlarik is able to return to the lineup that he will be recalled again and another player such as Karson Kuhlman or Trent Frederic will be assigned to the AHL. Although, Kuhlman is making it hard for the Bruins to send him down as we get a glimpse of another young prospects bright future in the NHL. So, will we see more of Kuhlman in the future over Cehlarik? It is a tough decision that Cassidy will have to make.

Peter Cehlarik has played in 13 games for the Bruins this season since his call up in January. He has buried 4 goals and 2 assists for 6 points this season. He was slotted in nicely with David Pastrnak and David Krejci until Pastrnak injured his thumb and was replaced on the left wing with Jake DeBrusk.

Coyle should be available for the Bruins on Saturday when they take on the flaming hot Blues (32-22-5) who have won 11 straight games to propel them into 3rd place in the Central Division. It will be interesting to see what Bruce Cassidy decides if Peter Cehlarik is healthy for that game. Will he recall Cehlarik again and assign Kuhlman or Trent Frederic to the P-Bruins? If it were up to me, I would keep Kuhlman for the near future and send Frederic down to Providence. Kuhlman has shown a lot of speed and skill on the second line filling in for Cehlarik. He also buried a goal against the Sharks on Monday night.

If Peter Cehlarik comes back for the game against the Blues, and Charlie Coyle makes his Bruins debut, it will be interesting to see if Bruce Cassidy puts Cehlarik on the wing with Krejci and DeBrusk and puts Coyle on the 3rd line center position or Coyle on the 2nd line wing and Cehlarik on the 3rd line wing.

Overall, the Bruins are on a roll and are getting contributions up and down the lineup and have been rattling off 7 straight wins and look to continue the streak on Saturday.

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Providence Bruins Sign Lee Stempniak to Professional Tryout

/ phonymahoney / Leave a comment
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photo credit: Brian Babineau / NHL / Getty Images

By: Mandi Mahoney | Check me out on Twitter @phonymahoney

Providence Journal hockey writer and Rhode Island hockey expert Mark Divver announced today that the Providence Bruins signed forward Lee Stempniak to a professional tryout (PTO). Despite the fact that Stempniak has been practicing with the Bruins’ NHL squad since before the start of the season, this is an American Hockey League transaction only.

Stempniak, a National Hockey League journeyman, has played for ten different NHL clubs, which is tied for second-most in the league’s history. In a trade deadline deal on February 29, 2016, Stempniak was traded to the Bruins in exchange for a second and fourth-round draft pick. It was the third year in a row that Stempniak was dealt at the NHL’s trade deadline, as he was known to be a good addition to bring needed scoring punch to teams’ lineups. In his 19 regular season games for Boston, he scored three goals and assisted on seven, totaling ten points as a Bruin. Boston would go on to miss the playoffs that season, unfortunately, and despite a good showing in his 19 games, Stempniak would not be re-signed by General Manager Don Sweeney.

Stempniak signed with the Carolina Hurricanes in the summer of 2016 and scored 40 points in 2016-17 while playing all 82 games of the season. Last season, however, did not go so well for Stempniak, as he was plagued by injuries, missing 45 games. Ultimately, he scored three goals and notched six helpers for a total of nine points in 37 games for Carolina last year. Given the rough season he had, the 35-year-old wing was hard pressed to find any takers during free agency last summer, despite scoring 469 points in 909 career NHL games. Stempniak has called Boston home since graduating from Dartmouth in 2005.

This is a good move for Providence to gain some NHL and veteran experience for their lineup, however, it is an AHL tryout only, so Stempniak will not be taking an NHL roster spot with the Bruins unless he’s signed to a National Hockey League contract. Stempniak was invited to camp last year and had a good preseason with the Bruins, along with fellow bottom six forward Daniel Winnik. He was not signed, however, as the Bruins were stacked with a plethora of youngsters who would likely be filling out the bottom six for the Black and Gold. Obviously, it would not have been advantageous to the organization to dress a player of advancing age rather than continue to develop their youth.

Per Providence Head Coach Jay Leach, Stempniak will suit up for the P-Bruins at home tonight against the Toronto Marlies, and Sunday against the Springfield Thunderbirds, which will also be played at home, at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. One would think the Bruins are unlikely to sign Stempniak to an NHL contract since he’s been practicing with them for a half year at this point, but there is a distinct  possibility that the New York native could be looked toward for help in their bottom six, as the Bruins are in dire need of secondary scoring, and Don Sweeney has yet to make any trades this season. If Stempniak can capitalize on the opportunity and doesn’t look outmatched in the AHL, it would not be totally crazy for him to see NHL action again.

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