Bruins Sign Veteran Winger To PTO Ahead Of Training Camp

The Bruins’ roster is largely set, but Alex Chiasson is getting an opportunity to make the jobs of Don Sweeney and Jim Montgomery a little more challenging.

Boston signed Chiasson, a veteran winger, to a professional tryout agreement (PTO), the club announced Monday.

The 32-year-old (he turns 33 on Oct. 1) has bounced around the league since breaking in with Dallas back in 2012-13. He played with Detroit, his seventh different team, last season when he appeared in just 20 games with the rebuilding Red Wings.

Chiasson was pretty good in limited time with the Wings, scoring six goals with three assists in just those 20 contests. He scored on 24% of his shot attempts, a rate that was by far the highest of his career, likely the byproduct of five goals coming on the power play.

It’s unlikely he’d be able to continue that level of production, but he has displayed solid scoring touch throughout his career. Chiasson scored a career-high 22 goals in 2018-19 with Edmonton and potted as many as 13 in just 67 games two seasons ago with Vancouver. He also could be a power-play boost with 35 of his 78 career points coming with the man advantage.

Chiasson also has a good deal of playoff experience, appearing in 37 career postseason games. He was on the 2018 Washington Capitals team that won the Stanley Cup, scoring a goal in the Caps’ Game 7 win in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Montreal native is no stranger to the area, too. He played his college hockey at Boston University where he played three seasons.

Chiasson presumably will challenge for a spot in the Bruins’ bottom-six where he would be a responsible two-way forward with an occasional ability to score. He’d obviously provide a veteran presence, but he’ll have no shortage of competition with a handful of younger players challenging for a roster spot, too.