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Free Agent Focus: #20 Daniel Paille (Fan Poll Included) |
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It's now time to take our first look at one of the remaining free agents on the Boston Bruins' roster. Up first is forward Daniel Paille.
THE PAILLE FILE
FREE AGENT STATUS: RFA
POSITION: Left Wing
AGE: 25
HEIGHT: 6'0
WEIGHT: 200
09-10 STATS: 74gp, 10g 9a 19pts, -4
09-10 SALARY: $1.125 Million
NHL EXPERIENCE: Five Years (269gp)
DRAFT: 20th Overall in 2002 by Buffalo
CAREER HIGHS: 77gp, 19g 16a 35pts (2007-08, Buffalo)
NOTES
* Led all Boston forwards with 1:59 of SH TOI per game.
* Played pivotal role in the Bruins boasting the third-best penalty kill in the entire league.
* Blazing speed helped create a number of breakaway opportunities.
* Lack of finishing ability negated virtually all of said breakaway chances.
Paille proved to be quite the pickup in the early-going after the Sabres no longer had a role for the speedy forward. Sent to Boston in exchange for a 3rd round draft pick, the Ontario native quickly helped turn around the Bruins' slumping PK. Wallowing near the bottom of the league in that category, the B's ascended to among the NHL's best, holding down the top spot for the majority of the 2009-10 season before finishing in third with an 86.4% success rate.
Easily asserting himself as the fastest skater on the squad, Paille's quick feet generated a number of breakaway opportunities on opposing goaltenders. But his greatest gift often highlighted his biggest weakness as the former 1st round pick struggled time and time again to bury his bevy of chances. Including the postseason, the defensive-minded forward picked up just four points over his final 35 contests for the Black and Gold. With 57 shots over that stretch, Paille netted just a single goal. He is, quite simply, the new P.J. Axelsson minus the funky, European fashion sense off the ice.
So if the Bruins decide to let Paille and his defensive/PK prowess go, it won't be hard to imagine why they have done so. With an influx of young talent on its way between Providence and the #2 overall pick, there simply may not be enough cap nor roster space to keep him around.
If I were GM, I'd be extremely hesitant about entertaining thoughts of keeping the 25-year-old forward. Paille's speed is among the best in the league and there's no denying the impact he had on the B's PK. However, his lack of finish and subpar abilities along the boards would point me toward keeping him far, far away from a spot on any of the top three lines. From there, I just don't see how someone of Paille's skill-set would fit in with Claude Julien and Peter Chiarelli's ideal makeup for the 4th unit of forwards.
So what say you, Bruins' fans? Yay or nay for Mr. Daniel Paille?
JC
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