The Bruins wrapped up their own group of restricted free agents on Thursday by locking down defenseman Matt Bartkowski to a one-year, two-way contract for the upcoming season.
Bartkowski actually started the 2011-12 season with the Bruins when Adam McQuaid wasnt fully healthy to start the campaign, and played in three games with the Black and Gold before getting sent back down to the AHL.
Bartkowski spent the rest of the season with the Providence Bruins where he finished with 22 points and 38 penalty minutes in 50 games, and continues to straddle that fine line between AHL prospect and established NHL defenseman. Thus far, the 6-foot-1, 203-pound Bartkowski has appeared in nine NHL games with the Bruins while putting up four penalty minutes.
Bartkowski has shown flashes during training camp when it comes to making a quick first pass and looking for plays in the offensive zone while playing sound defense, but it appears as if the game has quickened up on him once hes dropped into live NHL games.
The difficulty is determining whether Bartkowskis difficulties breaking pucks out of his own end are due to a lack of consistent playing timeexperience at the NHL level, or a fatal flaw in processing on-ice information quickly.
But his numbers and consistency at the AHL level indicate hes at least due for an extended opportunity at the NHL level in the next couple of seasons.
The 24-year-old Pittsburgh native is expected to play with the P-Bruins again this season, and will likely be one of the first players recalled should injuries hit Boston along the backline. Bartkowski will be paid 600,000 if hes playing at the NHL level and 62,500 at the AHL level.