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Is Chris Clark the guy to fill Mark Recchi’s veteran role in Boston?

Chris Clark

When Mark Recchi retired this summer after helping the Boston Bruins win the Stanley Cup, it ended a stellar career for the 43 year-old veteran. Recchi’s departure also left the Bruins lacking a bit on their forward lines. While Recchi’s knack for the net and veteran savvy won’t be around in Boston this year, there’s another older player who’s looking to impress coach Claude Julien and GM Peter Chiarelli in camp this year.

Former Capitals captain Chris Clark is joining the Bruins in camp on a tryout basis looking to find a way onto the Boston roster this season. Clark is coming off a season in Columbus that saw him hit the ice for just 53 games scoring five goals and adding 10 assists. Since being traded from Washington two years ago, Clark’s career has quieted down a bit in Columbus scoring just eight goals in a season and a half in Ohio.

Clark was never really the goal scoring, point production kind of player as he’s a prototypical grinder, but that sort of player in Boston can become a folk hero if they play well enough. CSNNE.com’s Joe Haggerty caught up with Clark as he tunes up for training camp and finds out that he knows just what his role will be if he can crack Boston’s lineup.

“I’m always excited for camp, but I’d rather be two weeks into camp,” said Clark. “I know who everybody is from playing against them, but I’m looking forward to getting to know them on a personal level. I had a couple of camp offers, but nothing great.

“I talked to Peter [Chiarelli] and they were looking for somebody like me. Whether it becomes me or not remains to be seen. It’s up to me, but we’ll see what happens. The off-the-ice stuff was definitely important [for a potential role with the Bruins], but the on-ice stuff is pretty important too.”

You’d have to think that “somebody like him” would mean a guy who can play a solid 12-13 minutes a game in a defensive forward role. Expecting Clark to come in and do the things that Recchi would do is asking him to go outside his realm of abilities. If the Bruins are in need of a third or fourth line grinder, however, Clark is the guy that could fill that role admirably. After a miserable go of it in Columbus and looking to win a Stanley Cup, going to Boston could be the exact opportunity he’s been waiting for.