Boston,
which lost to Buffalo on Sunday
, made a major trade earlier in the day, obtaining veteran forward Rick Nash from the New York Rangers for a package that included forward Ryan Spooner, minor-league forward
Matt Beleskey
, prospect defenseman
Ryan Lindgren
and Boston's first- and seventh-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.
The Bruins (37-14-8, 72 points) are third in the Atlantic Division, one point behind the second-place Toronto Maple Leafs (39-20-5) and five points behind the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning (42-17-3). Boston has five games in hand on the Maple Leafs and three on the Lightning. The Bruins have a 20-point lead on the fourth-place Florida Panthers.
Gionta last played in the NHL in 2016-17 with the Buffalo Sabres, when he had 35 points (15 goals, 20 assists) in 82 games. He has 588 points (289 goals, 299 assists) in 1,006 regular-season games in 15 seasons with the Sabres, Montreal Canadiens and New Jersey Devils. He has 68 points (32 goals, 36 assists) in 112 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
He was selected by the Devils in the third round (No. 82) of the 1998 NHL Draft.
The Bruins also signed defenseman Chris Breen to a one-year, two-way contract through the 2017-18 season worth $650,000 at the NHL level. He was placed on waivers for the purpose of assignment to Providence of the American Hockey League.
