Bruins sign veteran forward to Professional Tryout Agreement (PTO)

On Monday, the Boston Bruins announced that they had signed veteran forward Alex Chiasson to a Professional Tryout Agreement.

During the 2022-23 season, Chiasson split time between the AHL where he played for the Grand  Rapids Griffins, and, more importantly, with the Detroit Red Wings where he appeared in 20 games where he scored six goals, and tallied three assists (nine points).

Chiasson, a close personal friend of recently retired Patrice Bergeron, was originally drafted by the Dallas Stars in 2009 with the 38th overall pick. Chiasson chose not to sign with the Stars initially, however, and wound up enrolling at Boston University to play for the Terriers from 2009-2012.

After three years with BU, Chiasson signed a three-year Entry Level Contract with Dallas, and tallied five points (one goal, four assists) in his first nine professional games with their AHL-affiliate, the Texas Stars.

Following 57 games with Texas the following season, Chiasson made his NHL debut – scoring six goals in as many games, while adding an assist to the tally to give him a total of seven points in seven games to finish the season.

So… What does Chiasson bring to the table for the Bruins that they don’t already have?

The first thing that Chiasson brings to the Bruins, first, is a veteran presence, specifically a veteran playoff presence. Chiasson won the Stanley Cup Finals with the Washington Capitals during the 2017-18 season.

In total, he has played in a total of 37 playoff games where he has scored four goals, and tallied three assists (seven points).

In terms of regular season numbers, ironically, his heathiest and largest scoring seasons, came the season before, and the season after he won the cup, respectively.

In the 2016-17 season with the Calgary Flames, Chiasson played in 81 games, scoring 12 goals, and collecting 12 assists (24 points). Following his Stanley Cup-winning season with the Capitals, Chiasson left for his rivals during his tenure with the Flames, in the Edmonton Oilers and played there for three seasons.

In his first year there, Chiasson played in 73 games all while setting career-highs in goals (22), assists (16), and points (38).

As a natural right winger, if he were to make the roster, watch for him to be a physical force on the ice with Milan Lucic, and bring back the big, bad, Bruins.

This fight is exhibit A:

According to NHL.com, in 651 NHL games, Chiasson has collected 359 penalty minutes – giving him an average of just under two minutes per game.

Fun facts (from his Wikipedia page):

1. In his free time, when he is not playing hockey, Chiasson enjoys playing golf or… Wait for it… Going to Boston Red Sox games.
2. The only words he could speak in English when moving to the United States were “yes”, “no”, and “toaster”.
3. Chiasson grew up a Montreal Canadiens fan.
4. After his sophomore year of high school, he left Quebec, to attend the Northwood School in Lake Placid, New York where he also played one season of hockey. While there he played in 45 games, and tallied 35 goals and 46 assists (81 pts).
5. Following his time at the Northwood School, he played exclusively in the USHL for the Des Moines Buccaneers under head coach J.P. Parise (father of Zach Parise). While playing for the Buccaneers, he led the team in scoring with 17 goals, and 13 assists (50 pts). He also collected 101 penalty minutes, was named to the 2009 USHL All-Star Game.
6. Chiasson is the second player the Bruins have signed that played college hockey in the Boston area in the last week after they signed John Farinacci on August 16.