Boston Bruins: B’s sign Matt Fraser, invite Ville Leino to camp.
May 8, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Boston Bruins right wing
Matt Fraser(25) celebrates his goal against Montreal Canadiens with teammates during the fourth period in game four of the second round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
Peter Chiarelli announced today that Ville Leino has been invited to training camp. Leino was a recipient (or victim) or a compliance buyout from the Buffalo Sabres this summer. He put up fifteen points (no goals) for Buffalo last year. Leino has played in 286 NHL games and has put up one hundred and fifty nine points (forty goals) for the Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and the Philadelphia Flyers.
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It’s not a terrible decision by Chiarelli here. There is no commitment here, and no money is being wasted here. It will add another potential body to the mix to see who makes the final roster, and the extra competition (Simon Gagne is also coming up to training camp on a try out basis.) will surely up the compete level for all the skaters trying to get a job. Leino could be competing for a fourth line spot, as there is one (if not more) spots available on that line.
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Another player that will be competing for that fourth line spot (or spots) is Matt Fraser. Fraser scored the winning OT goal for Boston in game four in their playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens last year. Fraser got to play in two regular season games last season, and he may see more NHL action this year. He was signed to a one year, two-way contract today. The pay should be comparable to what he made last year playing for Boston and Providence (NHL: $625,000 – AHL: $75,000).
The signing of Fraser pretty much locks up all the players the Bruins need for the year (save for Torey Krug and Reilly Smith). The only questions that remain is who on the current Bruins roster will be moved in order to have the money available to pay for them. It’s likely the Bruins will have plenty of other teams’ scouts at Ristuccia Arena and the TD Garden to take a look at the potential trade bait that will be available after camp.