Bruins

Bruins sign Massachusetts native Marc McLaughlin to 1-year contract

McLaughlin hails from North Billerica and played his collegiate career at Boston College.

Boston Bruins' Marc McLaughlin during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins Saturday, April 16, 2022, in Boston.
Marc McLaughlin will look to get his shot up in the NHL ranks this upcoming season. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

By Conor Ryan

A day after doling out a new contract to defenseman Ian Mitchell, the Bruins re-signed a local product looking to make a push for the NHL roster this fall.

Boston announced on Tuesday that it signed right-shot forward Marc McLaughlin to a one-year, two-way contract with an annual cap hit of $775,000 at the NHL level.

The 23-year-old McLaughlin hails from North Billerica and served as captain at Boston College for his final two seasons at Chestnut Hill.

Signed as an undrafted free agent out of BC back in March 2022, McLaughlin has appeared in 13 career games with the Bruins, scoring three goals over that stretch.

He spent most of last season with the Providence Bruins, posting 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) over 66 games in his first full campaign against AHL competition.

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McLaughlin made a strong case for NHL reps out of training camp last September, with the poised forward standing as arguably Boston’s most consistent contributor during preseason action.

However, with McLaughlin exempt from waivers, the Bruins opted to send him down to Providence and gave fellow youngster Jakub Lauko a look to start the 2022-23 campaign.

McLaughlin should be one of many younger players in Boston’s pipeline that will be vying for consistent playing time out of the gate in 2023-24.

Armed with a heavy shot and a steady, two-way game, McLaughlin could slot in as the Bruins’ fourth-line center if he leapfrogs the competition on the depth chart, and has the versatility to slot over to the wing.

Beyond Milan Lucic’s expected role at left wing on Boston’s checking unit, there are two vacancies currently on the fourth line.

If one (or both) of Patrice Bergeron or David Krejci return, the subsequent domino effect could push an NHL regular like Morgan Geekie or Trent Frederic down into the fourth line.

But if Boston doesn’t gain additional reinforcements down the middle, a younger player like McLaughlin or Lauko could see regular minutes starting in mid-October.

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Fellow BC Eagle Patrick Brown is also a contender for fourth-line duties after Boston signed him to a two-year deal on July 1.