Rookie Lucic proves too tough to let go

For the past week or so, Milan Lucic had been trading text messages with Vancouver Giants general manager Scott Bonner, noting that the play of his WHL team (4-0-1) proved that his presence was not immediately required back home.

Instead, as the Bruins' roster moves demonstrated yesterday, the forward's services are more in demand in Boston.

The Bruins assigned Nate Thompson, Petteri Nokelainen, and Matt Hunwick to Providence yesterday while placing Jeff Hoggan on waivers, trimming their ranks to a 23-man roster that includes the 19-year-old Lucic.

Lucic can appear in nine games with the Bruins in 2007-08 without losing a season of eligibility on his three-year entry-level deal.

"It's a pleasant surprise in the sense that he's come this far," said general manager Peter Chiarelli. "He had a pretty good year, a very good finish, a very good summer, and this is just an extension of that.

"We've been preaching that we want to be hard to play against, and this is the type of player we want. They're hard to find, but we have one right here.

"But we have to be careful. He's only 19. We'll make sure he gets the proper rest and we assess him properly. He's passed a lot of tests already, and we'll move cautiously into the season with the assessment process."

Lucic and David Krejci will be the only two rookies to break camp with the big club. Chiarelli said he had opportunities to sign third-line centers during the offseason, but given Krejci's AHL play in 2006-07 (74 points in 69 games as a rookie in Providence), the team opted to give the 21-year-old a good look during camp.

Krejci recorded a goal and three assists, and his camp performance also allowed the Bruins to shift Phil Kessel to right wing.

"Right now, he's stuck," Chiarelli said. "Nothing's carved in stone, but right now, he's stuck. He had a very good camp. You saw his goal, and he's played very well defensively. He's done everything we've asked him to do."

Chiarelli said the current roster will start the season against Dallas Friday. However, if the team stumbles defensively, the GM will likely waste little time in upgrading the unit with a trade.

Boxing lessons
The defense is still adjusting to coach Claude Julien's box-plus-one formation, and Chiarelli noted that he'd like to see how the unit operates when it includes Zdeno Chara, who played only one preseason game because of a shoulder injury. Julien said Chara will definitely be available against the Stars.

"We had a couple breakdowns, but it was more decisions than chasing," Chiarelli said. "Of the two mistakes, decisions are the lesser of two evils. Chasing is a prolonged maneuver on the ice where you're not thinking. We have to improve on that. Part of that is Claude's system with the collapsing zone. There are still little remnants of last year's habits in place. We have to improve upon that. That will come."

Hunwick, the 22-year-old rookie, was the final defensive cut. The Michigan alum opened eyes with his skating and hockey sense, and put himself into play as the first defensive promotion in case of injuries or openings via trades.

"Hunwick came in and had an outstanding camp," Chiarelli said. "He was really close. I don't think we've seen the end of him. He's a mobile defenseman who has a couple things to learn. But he's good at puck retrieving. His skating is his greatest asset. He's smart. He turned a lot of heads."

Sign right here
Glen Metropolit, a camp invitee, is on the roster but has yet to sign a contract. Chiarelli said he anticipates signing Metropolit this week. The 33-year-old forward will most likely be offered a one-year deal . . . If Hoggan clears waivers by today's noon deadline, the winger will report to Providence . . . The Bruins were given yesterday off and will practice at Ristuccia Arena the next three days before traveling to Dallas Thursday afternoon. "We know we have some work," said Julien, whose club was one of only three teams (Pittsburgh and Calgary were the others) to win just one preseason game. "What's unfortunate about the results is not so much how we played, but how we lost. The mistakes that are made on those goals-against are things that can be corrected. We've just got to keep working on that stuff, because right now it's one thing to get beat; it's another thing to beat yourselves. We just have to make sure we get a little more focused and making sure, for 60 minutes, we eliminate those kinds of mistakes that are costing us games."

Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at FShinzawa@globe.com