Tommy Wingels looks forward to the Bruins’ home-road weekend against the Blackhawks, who traded him to the Bruins on Feb. 26.
BOSTON -- Professional athletes understand that trades come with the territory, and that they can mean leaving familiar, comfortable, even cherished territory.
Tommy Wingels has experienced that twice in just over a year.
On Jan. 24, 2017, he was traded by the Sharks to the Senators, after almost nine years in the San Jose organization -- six as an NHL player.
On Feb. 26 of this year, Wingels -- who grew up just north of Chicago in Evanston, Illinois -- was traded by his hometown Blackhawks to the Bruins, minutes before the NHL trade deadline.
“Was one easier than the other? I don’t think so,” Wingels said after Friday’s practice at TD Garden. “Both times, it was sad to see. It’s difficult to leave teammates abruptly.
“But that’s how it is. That’s how our league works. I’ve moved on.”
Wingels has also moved in, and all around, the Bruins’ lineup since arriving. After three games as a wing (right and left) on two different lines, he’s currently playing center as the B’s cope with the absence of Patrice Bergeron (fractured foot) and David Backes (NHL suspension), and he’s excited about the weekend ahead: The Bruins host the ’Hawks on Saturday afternoon (1:05, NESN, WBZ-FM/98.5), then visit them in Chicago for a nationally televised matinee on Sunday (12:30, NBC, WBZ-FM/98.5).
“It’ll be a lot of fun,” Wingels said. “I enjoyed my time there very, very much. It was a huge, huge honor, being from Chicago, playing for the Blackhawks. I can’t say enough how much I enjoyed that experience. It meant so much to me to be able to play in front of friends and family on a nightly basis.
“That being said, it’s in the past now. From the day I’ve gotten here, I’ve had to put it behind me, and make sure all my focus is here in Boston -- which it is.”
Wingels, who put up a goal and an assist in a 4-3, overtime victory over the Hurricanes in his Feb. 27 debut with the B’s, has successfully undergone a crash course in Bruins hockey since arriving.
“There’s some learning curves for him right now, for what we’re asking, but we’re fine with that,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “He’s still always physical, he’s around the puck, hard to play against.
“I think he’s fit in well, his personality … so he’s been a good add.”
Wingels, who scored seven goals and 12 points over 57 games before the trade, wasn’t shocked when the Blackhawks subtracted him for a fourth- or fifth-round draft pick in 2019. He was on a one-year, $750,00 contract, headed for a second straight summer of unrestricted free agency.
“I understand how the league works in terms of guys on one-year contracts,” he said. “I’m aware of how things are, and how things were. It wasn’t a surprise to get traded.”
What was a surprise was how the Blackhawks, Stanley Cup champions in 2010, ’13 and ’15, have struggled this season. They’re last in the Central Division, destined to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
“When I signed there last summer, I never envisioned the team missing the playoffs,” Wingels said. “I don’t think any player in that room thought that, and I don’t think anyone involved in the organization thought that.
“I’m certainly surprised. That group has too much talent, guys who are willing to compete, guys who work hard.”
Around the boards: Winger Brad Marchand was far from contrite after the NHL fined him $2,000 for his second embellishment offense of the season, on March 1 against the Penguins. “It’s the last thing I’m going to worry about,” said Marchand, complaining that the league can’t accurately judge what happens on a play “from a video, hundreds of miles away. … I don’t care about this. It’s a joke ... pretty stupid, but it is what it is.” ... Cassidy said goalie Tuukka Rask will try to extend the Bruins’ five-game winning streak on Saturday, followed by Anton Khudobin when the B’s open a four-game trip on Sunday.