The Boston Bruins are getting some AHL depth on defense, according to Bally Sports’ Andy Strickland. They’re bringing in Dan Renouf on a two-year, two-way deal.
While Renouf’s a name most NHL fans aren’t going to be familiar with, fans of the Grand Rapids Griffins are certainly going to know his name. The 28-year-old undrafted player returns to New England for the first time since he manned the blueline for the University of Maine from 2013-14 to 2015-16.
Since turning pro, Renouf has been a steady, reliable defensive specialist at the AHL level. Last season, Renouf played 63 games for the Griffins, scoring 14 points. More importantly, Renouf played over 20 minutes per night and anchored the Griffins’ penalty kill. The Griffins’ shorthanded unit ranked 29th out of 31 AHL teams, but one has to consider the inconsistent goaltending the team received before pinning that all on Renouf.
Renouf has 23 career NHL games to his name and heads to Providence after a year where he played in four NHL games. He’ll likely be down on the list of defensemen GM Don Sweeney will call up when he needs to fill in for an injured Bruins defenseman, though that won’t stop him from likely playing a valuable role as a top-four defenseman and penalty killer on the Providence Bruins.