Although the winger doesn't come to the Hub with astonishing offensive stats, he comes with a gritty, old-school, Bruins-like style of play. He displays the type of hockey that Terry O'Reilly disciples and upper-deck Garden dwellers who use the term "donnybrook" expect to see on Causeway.
"He's a good two-way player," Bruins assistant general manager Jim Benning told The Boston Globe. "He plays both ends of the ice. He's a real good skater. Physically, he's strong. When he hits, he hits three people."
Ah yes, the old three-for-one body check — a lost art in today's game, and especially in Boston with banger Milan Lucic on the shelf with a broken finger.
But Paille isn't just a dump-and-bump kind of guy. He has racked up 77 points in 195 games spread out over the last five seasons. He plays with smart intensity, too, gaining just 54 penalty minutes in his career.
"The reason why we drafted him in Buffalo is the reason we traded for him now — because of his speed, his ability to get in on the forecheck, hit, recover pucks," added Benning, who was Buffalo's director of amateur scouting when the team drafted Paille with the 20th overall pick in 2002. "He's a good defensive, two-way player."
Although the 25-year-old doesn't plan to change up his style, he does look forward to starting over in a new, yet equally hockey-crazed city.
"Little bit of a shock," said Paille of his initial reaction to Tuesday's trade. "But [I'm] excited at the same time. I've been presented with a new opportunity and a new team. I get to meet the new guys, and I'm really looking forward to that."
While Paille looks forward to the new opportunity, hockey fans in Boston are looking for those multiple-man body checks.
