Boston Bruins: Lee Stempniak Considering Bruins

Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Bruins could look to sign veteran forward Lee Stempniak to a PTO. The former Darmouth hockey player has lived in Boston since he graduated college with his family and found himself skating with the Bruins during their captain’s practices recently. Without a PTO or contract signing being imminent for Stempniak, the Bruins could look to bolster their depth scoring by giving Stempniak a shot.

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Stempniak scored fifteen goals, all at even strength, in 71 games split between the New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets last year His fifteen goals would have ranked him fifth in Bruins scoring in the 2014-15 season. The only players who scored more while on the Bruins last season were Brad Marchand with 24, Patrice Bergeron with 23, Loui Eriksson with 22, and Milan Lucic with 18. Depth scoring is something the Bruins are in dire need of, and a 4th line role for Stempniak could be a good way to spark the offense some nights.

Stempniak is aware that a marriage between him and the Bruins would makes sense, stating: “I think it would be a good fit. It’s a great organization,” he went on to say, “I’ve heard great thing I’ve gotten to know some of the guys. I like them and have a lot of respect for some of their players, just the way they train, the way they play and as people. It’s definitely appealing, but for me, it’s sort of weighing the options. I’ve talked to more teams over the last couple of weeks and things have really picked up. (It’s about) finding the right opportunity at this point.”

While offering Stempniak a PTO would make sense for the Bruins, they should avoid signing him outright without giving some of their younger forwards an opportunity as well. With a slew of young right wings on the depth looking to make the cut, Stempniak could find himself in competition for a 3rd or 4th line right wing role, which would put him up against Brett Connolly, David Pastrnak, Jimmy Hayes, Loui Eriksson, Seth Griffith, and Brian Ferlin. The latter two should be competing for 4th line roles and are most likely the direct competition that Stempniak would face in training camp. The Bruins have nothing to lose by seeing how Stempniak gels with the team, and an extra camp body doesn’t hurt regardless.

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Stempniak appears to be taking his time on choosing the right fit, and appeared to be surprised when he didn’t get a contract offer to remain with Winnipeg after the team acquired him late last season. “I felt like I had a good year and a strong finish to the season,” he said. “I was hoping to go back to Winnipeg. I liked it there. It’s a great hockey city, a a great organization and I thought it was a good fit. It didn’t work out for one reason or another, and I’m just looking (for) the next thing. I’ve been on quite a few teams over the course of my career. Change is something I’m used to.” Stempniak of course, is referring to the fact that he’s played for seven teams in the NHL.

It isn’t out of the question to expect Stempniak to score in the double digits again during the 2015-16 season, as he’s done so nine times in his ten year career, and the only season he didn’t was the 2012-13 season when he scored 9 goals in 47 games. Stempniak has scored over 25 goals twice in his career, once in 2006-07, and again in 2009-10, when he scored 27 and 28 goals respectively.

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Stempniak is the kind of player that every NHL team would like to have. Stempniak is coming off of a one year, $900,000 contract, and if that’s any indication of what his next deal will be, some team will be getting a very-friendly contract for a very good depth player.

Right now, Stempniak is working on putting himself in the best possible position for both himself and his family, and his mind is focused more on being hockey-ready than thinking of where he will play next season. “For me, it’s sort of out of sight, out of mind a little bit,” he said. “It’s hard. I have a young family, so it’s not just a matter of packing up and moving. I haven’t changed how I’ve prepared at all. I’m just preparing for training camp on Thursday. Right now, it’s just figuring out where will that be.”

Follow Brandon Share-Cohen on Twitter @FansidedBrandon to discuss all things Bruins and sports

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