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Proactive signing: Bruins re-sign Adam McQuaid before free agency next year

Boston Bruins v Vancouver Canucks - Game Seven

VANCOUVER, BC - JUNE 15: Adam McQuaid #54 of the Boston Bruins celebrates as he lifts the Stanley Cup after defeating the Vancouver Canucks in Game Seven of the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Arena on June 15, 2011 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Boston Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4 to 0. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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Adam McQuaid and the Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins have already agreed to a three-year contract extension that will keep him in New England until 2015. According to Joe Haggerty at CSN New England, the 3-year deal is worth a total of $4.7 million. The extension comes only two weeks after the Bruins were able to start negotiating with the big 6’5” defenseman from Prince Edward Island. While most of the restricted free agent signings making currently making headlines are players whose contracts have expired, McQuaid is still under contract for the 2011-12 season. In essence, he’ll be around for the next four seasons.

Peter Chiarelli told the media in a conference call that he has high hopes for the 24-year-old defenseman:

“‘I see he has some shutdown ability and he possesses a two-way component to his game. I’d like to see him turn into a top four defenseman.”

In his first full season with the Bruins, he racked up 3 goals, 12 assists, and 96 penalty minutes over the course of 67 games. In the playoffs, he was a reliable blueliner for Boston as averaged 13 minutes per game and put up a plus 8 rating. The plus/minus statistic was his forte this season as he finished the regular season with a +30—best among rookies and fifth in the NHL.

Like his general manager, Adam McQuaid also expects to only improve on his break out season:

“''Ideally, I’d like to be a top shutdown defenseman, play big minutes...that’s something I’ll need to work on to get to that point. I’d like to get there in the not-too-far-future.”

With Joe Corvo replacing Tomas Kaberle, the defending champs look to already have their defensive corps in place. Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference, and Johnny Boychuk will all join McQuaid on the back end as the Bruins attempt to match their playoff run last season. Not only is McQuaid important to the team next season, he’s important for the team in the future as well. He’s already started to show signs that he’ll developing into a top 4 defender that can play a two-way game with a nasty streak. Those types of players are hard to come by and even harder to sign for less than $2 million per season.

The next step for GM Peter Chiarelli will be to come to an agreement with restricted free agent Brad Marchand before training camp starts in September.