While there has been talk for days that former Edmonton Oilers defenseman Alexander Petrovic has signed a professional tryout with the Boston Bruins, there hadn’t been any official confirmation. However, in his Sunday column, Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins confirmed that Petrovic has signed the PTO with Boston. He was supposedly deciding between offers from several other teams, including Carolina and Calgary.
The signing of Petrovic should be a great addition for Boston, who have plenty of issues with their defense. The team dealt with numerous injuries last season that at times forced several players from the Providence Bruins to fill in. With recent news that veteran defenseman Kevan Miller still hasn’t started skating yet after fracturing his kneecap twice last season, and the fact that two of their blueliners, Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo, remain restricted free agents and theoretically may not be at training camp, signing Petrovic makes sense.
Petrovic was a solid defenseman with the Florida Panthers, but was never thrilled with his playing time there as the most playing time he ever received was in his rookie season back in 2012-13 when he averaged 18:47 of ATOI. Unfortunately, his game never truly improved and he saw his time on the ice drop, eventually forcing him to demand a trade. That trade came in December last year when the Oilers acquired him to fill their void on defense. However, Petrovic never really got a fair trial with the Oilers, only playing nine games and dealing with a concussion issue. Of course, Petrovic will have to prove his value in Boston to get a contract, but he could be the perfect insurance for a defense that has plenty of questions.