The Bruins' slow start could be the final push that gets a contract for veteran winger Simon Gagne, who continues to practice with the team as a non-roster player while waiting for a contract. I'm hearing the decision could be made as soon as today.
For Simon's sake, I hope so. He got a bit of a raw deal last year with Philly (even the Flyers people openly admit his situation could and should have been handled better) and has patiently been waiting in Boston after having a good preseason as a tryout player. I know that Gagne may no longer be the All-Star forward he was in his prime but he can still help a contending team like the Bruins and is truly one of the game's good guys.
In the meantime, Ville Leino -- who also had a decent preseason for the Bruins as a tryout player but was ultimately a numbers game victim -- has signed with a KHL team for the rest of this season. Even after his unsuccessful stint in Buffalo that led to an expensive buyout, I remain an unabashed Ville fan. He could have helped an NHL team on a minimal one-year contract.