As alluded here the other day, the B’s made good on the rumor that they were looking to add a veteran forward, announcing Tuesday that former Harvard standout Dominic Moore signed a one-year pact that will pay him $1M in 2016-17. He reportedly gets a bonus of $100,000 if he plays north of 42 games, so that deal adds to his announced base salary of $900k. TSP didn’t list him in our option players rundown, but we thought about it- Moore is just one of those players that in hindsight is the kind of guy that appeals to the Bruins and what they like to do.

On the bright side- Moore is an experienced center who is one of the better faceoff men in the league, even if his offense is a far cry from what it used to be (and with a career-high of 41 points- Moore was always known as a bottom-six, defensive forward). He’s a good guy and leader who will be a trusted veteran for the coaches and someone to mentor a few of the younger players.

On the down side, Moore is 36 and if no other moves are made to the roster, represents more of the same old, same old (pun intended) where the progression of younger players on the Boston roster is blocked by a low-upside but established NHL old salt. While you can make the argument that rookie Noel Acciari lacks the kind of higher-end potential to argue against Moore taking his spot on Boston’s 4th line, there are other players who represent an upgrade in skill at the position who now are effectively relegated to Providence (Austin Czarnik comes to mind) with the arrival of Moore in Boston.

It would probably be a bad assumption to say that the arrival of Moore and a possible trade of forward assets to acquire help at the defense position are mutually exclusive, but according to the Boston Herald’s Steve Conroy (via Twitter), B’s GM Don Sweeney said yesterday that “he’ll continue to look for D help but nothing imminent. Believes current group can improve & youngsters can challenge.”

Moore has gone through a lot in his 765 NHL games, including the loss of his wife (and former Harvard soccer star), Katie, to cancer. If you can’t get behind his potential to help the Bruins, even the most clinically detached of fans can recognize that the guy has overcome a lot to get to where he is in his pro hockey career, and sometimes- those intangibles are worth more than meets the eye. HNIC and NHL video on him here (you might want a tissue handy):

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=548835

ESPN E:60 feature on Moore and leaving the NHL for a year to be with his wife:

Don’t believe everything you read, and there are worse players to bring in than Moore. He provides some experienced depth, but if you were a fan who didn’t appreciate the additions of Simon Gagne and Max Talbot to the Boston roster in recent seasons, then there’s likely nothing else that can be said here that will alter your feelings on Moore right now.

But regardless of how you feel about the move from a hockey perspective, it shouldn’t be difficult to get behind the man. Somewhere, Katie Moore is pulling on a Bruins jersey and getting ready to cheer him on for one more season.