BOSTON — After growing up in Marshfield, Mass., spending three years at Boston University and playing another five seasons in the Bruins organization, David Warsofsky was ready for a fresh start.
That’s why, when he hit free agency this past summer, the 25-year-old defenseman chose to leave Boston. He instead signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who were in town Wednesday to take on Warsofsky’s former team at TD Garden.
“Obviously, growing up, you want to play for your hometown team,” Warsofsky said after the Penguins’ morning skate. “But I think the change has been good for me. It’s maybe a little bit less pressure. I don’t have family and friends at every game. And just with the organization they have here and the players and the system, I think Pittsburgh was a better opportunity for me.”
Warsofsky said he spoke with “four or five” teams, including the Bruins, while deciding his next move.
“I talked to them,” he said, “but I think playing here for college and being from here and playing in the (Bruins) organization, I think it was just time for a change for me. I just needed a change of scenery, kind of, to clear my head about some things. The new management was I think maybe in my favor a little bit, but I think the change was good for me.
“… I had (a meeting) with (Bruins general manager) Don Sweeney, and he was very positive. I think we left on good terms, and I don’t think there were any hard feelings on either side.”
Warsofsky spent the vast majority of his Bruins tenure in the American Hockey League, playing 230 games for the Providence Bruins and just 10 for their NHL parent club. The similarities between his game and that of fellow 5-foot-9 D-man Torey Krug made it undesirable for Boston to slot both players into the lineup at the same time.
The AHL was Warsofsky’s home to begin this season, as well, but an injury to Olli Maata last month prompted Pittsburgh to promote him. Since then, he’s played in six games for his new team, and another injury, this one to veteran blueliner Kris Letang, thrust him into a spot on the Penguins’ top power-play unit.
The BU product has yet to record a point this season (he has one goal and two assists in his career), but his play has caught the attention of some of his more established teammates.
“He’s been really good,” center Sidney Crosby said. “Coming in having to play a pretty big role for somebody stepping right in there — top power-play unit and getting some good minutes. He’s done a really good job with the puck. He’s able to make a really good first pass. He’s able to skate his way out of trouble.
“He’s not the biggest guy, but he’s smart, and that allows him to make a lot of good plays.”
Thumbnail photo via Aaron Doster/USA TODAY Sports Images
