New Bruins acquisition Stafford won’t play vs. Rangers tonight

BRIGHTON, Mass. - The Bruins will have to wait to see what was left under the NHL trade deadline tree for them as Drew Stafford won’t be in the lineup on Thursday night against the New York Rangers.

Instead, Stafford will make his way to Boston from Winnipeg after being shipped to the Bruins for a conditional sixth-round pick. The 31-year-old will probably make his B’s debut on Saturday against the New Jersey Devils.
It remains to be seen where the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Stafford will work his way into the lineup, but Stafford’s arrival gives Bruce Cassidy plenty of options with 14 pretty good forwards up front.

“We’ll get a look at him at practice [on Friday]. He’s a veteran player in the league, so we know about him,” said Cassidy of Stafford, who comes to Boston after scoring four goals and 13 points in 40 games this season for the Jets. “He’s a skilled guy and he’ll get a chance to play to his strengths. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but obviously if he’s available on Saturday then we’ll most likely play him.

“He’s got size, he’s a guy that’s scored goals in this league, he’s experienced and can add offense while still playing a 200-foot game. We’ll talk to him first. He may be a guy that’s comfortable on his off side, so those are things we need to find out. Until we do then it’s not exactly fair to say where he’s going to play. It’s fair to say he’s a skill guy that can score goals, so we’ll find a place for him.”

As for the rest of the Bruins lineup against the Rangers, Cassidy said that Matt Beleskey would draw back in as the fourth-line left wing with Tim Schaller the healthy scratch. It’s expected to be the same lineup on the back end. Here is the projected lineup based on Thursday’s optional morning skate at Warrior Ice Arena:

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