Chris Wagner hasn’t had much time to think about playing for his hometown team.
The Walpole native was part of the Bruins’ squad that traveled to the O.R.G. China Games. Now that he’s returned to the Bay State and spent a few days on the ice with his new teammates at Warrior Ice Arena, it’s finally starting to sink in.
“It's been cool to see how much support I've gotten from the people around here, but you've got to back up the opportunity,” said Wagner, who will play in the U.S. for the first time as a Bruin against the Philadelphia Flyers tonight at Wells Fargo Center. “It's just really cool to be here.”
Wagner spent the majority of the last three seasons with the Anaheim Ducks and finished last year as a New York Islander, but every day is still a chance to prove himself with this new club. He knows he has to ― without regard to the fact he’s signed to a two-year, $2.5 million contract ― as there is a group of strong youngsters and a few veterans looking to push for playing time and regular spots in the lineup.
“It's work, so you've got to go through training camp and make a good impression,” Wagner said as he looks to build off the momentum he created last year, scoring a career-high seven goals and 16 points over 79 games in the National Hockey League. “Tonight is another opportunity to do that, so I'm excited to play tonight and really try to take it day-by-day.”
Wagner’s role as a physical, bottom-six player certainly outweighs his offensive ability as he had not scored more than seven points in a season at any point in his career prior to last season. He is a seventh-year pro with 174 games in the NHL to his name, including 133 with the Ducks.
During the two-game trip to China, that position he’d fill was quickly noticed.
“Wagner hits everything that moves,” Bruce Cassidy said of Wagner, whose 253 hits ranked third in the NHL a season ago. “That’s as advertised.”
Although he left the New England region for two collegiate seasons at Colgate University and his pro career to date, Wagner knows his role is one that Bruins fans can appreciate. The departure of Riley Nash and Tim Schaller from the B's bottom lines to Columbus and Vancouver, respectively, during this offseason should allow him to fit right in there.
The “fun part” of joining his hometown team in taking the ice at TD Garden hasn’t happened yet, though it could soon with two games on tap later this week to finish the preseason. He’s pumped for that chance, whenever it comes, because he’s spent nights in those seats himself.
“It’s an 82-game season so some nights it's tough to go run around and hit, but being here and knowing the fans' support makes it a little easier,” Wagner said. “The crowd gets behind you when you do something small like block a shot or hit someone. They're going to get fired up. I've seen that forever, since I was two or three years old.”
What would make the deal even sweeter is a reunion with Noel Acciari, the third-year NHLer from Johnston, R.I., whose game is a carbon copy of Wagner’s. There’s plenty of familiarity between the two from their days with the South Shore Kings, although the years ― and, at this point, decades ― have passed since they last played on a line together.
Having previously established himself in this type of NHL role, Wagner is just ready to get after it, especially in this organization he’s long watched from afar.
“Coming into camp as more of a veteran guy, it's a little easier just because you know what to expect and what you have to do to be successful,” he said. “I've watched Bergy (Patrice Bergeron), Zee (Zdeno Chara), Krech (David Krejci), and Marchy (Brad Marchand), they've been here forever, so it's cool to be in the same locker room as them.
“It's changed a good amount over the last four or five years, definitely more skilled and can score a lot of goals. It's cool to have new guys but the same core at the same time.”
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The roster was trimmed for the second time during camp later on Monday afternoon.
Most notably, defenseman Axel Andersson was returned to Djurgarden IF in his native Sweden. The news is not exactly unexpected due to the team's logjam on the blue line, but the team's second-round pick in June will see his time after seeing considerable time paired with Chara during camp. Cassidy and assistant coach Joe Sacco were impressed with his game in preseason action.