The Bruins will kick off the second round on Monday against Florida and have made a roster move in advance of that game. The team announced that they’ve recalled forward Patrick Brown from AHL Providence on an emergency basis.
The 31-year-old inked a two-year, $1.6MM deal with Boston over the summer with the expectation that he’d contend for a spot on their fourth line. It didn’t quite work out that way, however, as he cleared waivers at the end of training camp and did so again a month later.
Overall, Brown played in just 11 regular season games for Boston this season, recording just one assist while logging less than nine minutes a night. As a result, he spent most of the year in Providence where he was much more impactful, collecting 32 points in 42 regular season games plus three more in two playoff contests thus far.
Boston had 14 forwards on its roster before Brown’s recall so the emergency designation is notable. Danton Heinen remains injured but since they had an extra healthy skater on the roster already (Jakub Lauko), it appears as if there’s at least one other forward whose availability for Monday night isn’t assured.
Meanwhile, while not announced by the team, the Bruins have also recalled goaltender Michael DiPietro, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 24-year-old has been serving as Boston’s emergency goaltender in recent days and had a 2.51 GAA with a .918 SV% in 30 games with Providence during the regular season.