After spending last season with the Rangers, veteran winger Tyler Pitlick will get some game action with the Bruins – just not in the NHL. The free-agent forward has settled for a fresh PTO with Boston’s AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, after participating in training camp there.
Pitlick has 420 NHL games under his belt over the last 11 seasons but has bounced around quite a bit in recent years. The first pick of the second round by the Oilers in the 2010 draft, Pitlick struggled with injuries in his early 20s and didn’t log significant NHL ice until the 2016-17 campaign, his age-25 season. Since reaching Group VI UFA status the following offseason, he’s played for seven teams in seven years, highlighted by a career-high 14 goals and 27 points in 80 games with the Stars in 2017-18.
After a 2019 offseason trade sent him from Dallas to Philadelphia, Pitlick hasn’t spent multiple seasons with the same team. He suited up for the Flyers, Coyotes, Flames, Canadiens, and Blues in depth roles before landing with the Rangers last year on a one-way deal worth $787.5K, just a shade above the league minimum.
Pitlick, 33 next month, was a non-factor in New York. He scored once and added three assists in 34 games, averaging 10:12 per night and logging subpar possession metrics (41.8 CF%, 41.5 xGF%). He landed on waivers in February and was assigned to AHL Hartford for his first minor league action in eight seasons, posting seven points and a -6 rating in 22 games down the stretch. Pitlick will now suit up for a P-Bruins team light on high-end NHL prospects aside from 2021 first-round pick Fabian Lysell.