Boston Bruins: Joonas Kemppainen Sent To Providence
The Boston Bruins announced today that forward Joonas Kemppainen would be sent down to the AHL Providence Bruins.
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The Boston Bruins have been making a lot of changes to their fourth line this season. This usually put one of the Black and Gold in the undesired spot of having to bounce back and forth between Providence and Boston.
So far this season, the Bruin on the bubble was Max Talbot. It wasn’t Talbot’s fault, there were just too many people, and Talbot’s contract allowed them to move him without worrying about him being lost to the waiver wire. Talbot has had some solid two-way play for the B’s as of late, and he’s become very reliable.
Kemppainen hasn’t suited up for the Bruins since January 26, where the Bruins got thrashed by the Anaheim Ducks. The 27-year old Finn hasn’t been terrible for Boston. He’s decent in the faceoff circle. He’s not bad on the penalty kill either. His biggest liability so far this season has been his lack of production, having only put up three points(one goal) in the 35 games he’s played.
Kemppainen has struggled to find his NHL game on North American ice, and hopefully some steady AHL ice time will give him not only experience but confidence should the Bruins decide their current configuration isn’t working out.
Kemppainen’s departure to Providence should finally give the Bruins a more dependable fourth line. The 31-year old Talbot will move into the center slot. While Talbot’s production isn’t outstanding either, he’s a bit more polished in all aspects of the game. Now Talbot will center a line with Zac Rinaldo and Landon Ferraro. Zac Rinaldo has surprised a lot of people but playing a season of relatively clean hockey, and Ferraro has quickly gelled with the Bruins since being grabbed on the waiver wire for the Detroit Red Wings. Hopefully, this line will give the B’s more stability in the bottom six and a more consistent all-around game.