The Boston Bruins have completed another signing this summer, convincing late round pick Pavel Shen to ditch his KHL contract in lieu of an entry-level deal.
Pavel Shen was drafted in the seventh round (212th overall) in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins but clearly shows enough promise to be of value immediately within the organisation.
Given he has already played two part-seasons in the professional KHL, he should be able to start the year with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League despite still being a teenager. Of course, there’s every chance the nineteen year-old surprises everyone out of camp and makes a push for a spot on the Boston Bruins roster.
Any time a team is willing to sign a seventh round pick to an entry-level deal, it has to be seen as a success. You have to assume that Pavel Shen went overlooked purely based on already being a KHL player in his draft year; perhaps nobody expected him to give up his native Russia to head to North America.
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Now, we’re not exactly expecting the next Alexander Ovechkin nor Evgeni Malkin, but if Pavel Shen can continue his progression as a professional hockey player, there’s every reason to expect him to play a key role in the Providence Bruins push for the Calder Cup this year.
Their team is looking increasingly stacked, what with there being limited space to promote young prospects to the actual Boston Bruins roster.
As previously noted, Pavel Shen didn’t exactly shine as a playmaker or creator of much in his short stints with KHL side, Salavat Yulaev Ufa, but he showed an impressive game at the World Junior Championships for Russia.
During that tournament, he not only tallied some points but had a strong showing as a more defensive forward. The Boston Bruins are never going to complain about adding some 200-foot talent to their forward group.
After all look at the success of the fourth and third lines in the play-offs; neither was exactly set up to be huge point producers but their defensive games allowed them to create offense. As the old adage goes; sometimes it’s defense that creates offense!
Signing a three-year entry level deal and with Pavel Shen negotiating his way out of his Russian deal; the Boston Bruins have ample time to evaluate exactly what sort of talent they’ve landed. With any luck when that three years is up, we’re talking a player ready for the NHL, if not already in it.
This could be very well be a late-rounder that pays off. Now it’s a case of looking forward to seeing him in action at training camp and assessing what we really have!