BRIGHTON, Mass. -- These days Steve Kampfer definitely looks a little bigger, a little stronger and a little older than the last time he suited up for the Black and Gold back in 2012.
That makes perfect sense, given that he’s about to turn 30 years old rather than the 20-something fresh out of the University of Michigan that he was during his last go-round with the B’s. But clearly, the Bruins liked enough about his game that they opted to snag him as the returning NHL-caliber defenseman in the Adam McQuaid deal with the Rangers just ahead of training camp.
Barring any injuries, the 5-foot-11, 192-pound Kampfer isn’t likely to start the season in Boston. It will be difficult for him to displace any of the D-men already earmarked for the Bruins roster, but he will provide some excellent organizational depth when the inevitable attrition arrives this season. Over the last six seasons Kampfer has racked up games of NHL experience for the Bruins, Wild, Panthers and Rangers, but actually had his best NHL season in Boston in 2010-11, when he totaled five goals and 10 points in 38 games for a team that eventually won the Stanley Cup.
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Since then, injuries have taken a bite out of his game and his stints with other NHL teams, so he’s looking for a nice, healthy stint with the Bruins organization.
“[I’ve had] a lot of injuries…a lot of injuries in between stops. I’ve had both knees done and I’ve had a few concussions, and I broke my hand last season, so I’ve spent a lot of time rehabbing and figuring out how to get my game back,” said Kampfer. “So it’s going to be nice to be healthy for once going into a season and hopefully that gets me out on the right foot.”
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Injuries aside, Kampfer said he was just happy to be back in Boston among familiar faces, in an organization that saw something in him when they initially traded for him as a prospect of the Anaheim Ducks.
“It was a shock, but it was exciting at the same time,” said Kampfer, who came back to Boston with a 2019 fourth round pick and a conditional seventh-round pick in exchange for McQuaid. “To be able to come back to a place I’ve been before and where I’ve had some success, hopefully it’s the same thing this time around.
“It’s nice to walk into a room and pick up on relationships that you’ve had before and build on those, and it also makes it easier when you get on the ice since you know how other guys like to play.”
The puck-moving Kampfer will more than likely start the season in Providence barring something extraordinary happening with the NHL roster, but it stands to reason that he’s going to factor in wins and losses for the Bruins at some point this season.