The Boston Bruins are bringing back another old friend

The Boston Bruins have a lot of work to do. Their center depth took a massive hit as both David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron have retired. As for the rest of the veterans on this team, they need to step up and help carry this new young squad.

As of right now, Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle are the 1-2 punch down the middle. They are going to be looking to make improvements as the year goes along.

One player that might help their forward depth overall is Danton Heinen. He used to play for the Bruins before letting him go and then getting back. He spent time with the Anaheim Ducks and Pittsburgh Penguins as well. Now, in a full circle, he is back in Boston on a tryout.

Make that another old friend coming back to the Bruins after some time away. Of course, Milan Lucic was a bit more well-known than Danton Heinen but they can both help this team.

Danton Heinen is coming back to the Boston Bruins on a PTO.

Last season with the Penguins, Heinen had 8 goals and 14 assists for 22 points. In his career, he has 70 goals and 106 assists for 176 points. Again, not a star but solid enough, especially when his defensive game is strong.

It is a little bit surprising that he has taken this long to sign with a team. It is possible that he just really wanted to return to the Bruins and was waiting for the chance.

Why wouldn’t anyone want Heinen? He is an outstanding two-way forward to insert into your bottom six. He isn’t going to wow you with anything he does but he does everything right.

With a lot of people thinking that the Bruins are toast without Bergeron and Krejci, they are not giving up. This is a great move by their management team.

The Bruins were the best regular-season team in NHL history last season (based on wins and points). They aren’t just going to roll over and not be a playoff team this season because they lost two players.

They certainly aren’t going to be that good again but they can be a contender if they are smart because they have great wingers and defenseman in front of good goaltending.

It is important to have good centers but Heinen will help them play in all areas of the ice. This tryout could end up being a big signing for the Bruins and the player.