BRUINS

News continues to trickle from TD Banknorth Garden, from where it was announced on Thursday that the Bruins had re-signed veteran winger Mark Recchi. The deal, hinted at Wednesday evening by general manager Peter Chiarelli, will pay Recchi a reported $1 million plus bonuses, which are allowed under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement for players older than 35 who sign one-year contracts. Recchi, obtained from Tampa Bay (with a second-round draft choice next season) for defenseman Matt Lashoff and right wing Martins Karsums at the March 4 trade deadline, is 41. Next season will be his 21st in the NHL. Recchi thus becomes the 12th forward under contract for 2009-2010, and his return will do nothing to stifle speculation that Boston will have to make some sort of salary cap-related move before next season. While deals struck with Recchi, restricted free agent winger Byron Bitz and unrestricted free agent center Steve Begin only added an estimated $2.5 million or so to Boston's cap payroll, the Bruins were already perilously close to next season's $56.8 million ceiling - which Chiarelli expects to be lower in 2010-11 - before the free-agent period began. Boston, meanwhile, has yet to re-sign winger Phil Kessel, who led the team with 36 goals last season, or defenseman Matt Hunwick, whose impressive rookie season was cut short when he suffered a ruptured spleen in the first round of the playoffs. Both restricted free agents can accept offer sheets from other clubs, in which case the Bruins could match the offers or accept compensation in the form of draft choices. Hunwick also has the option of seeking salary arbitration. There have been rampant rumors that Kessel, who has apparently been difficult to re-sign, will be traded. Reports from last weekend's NHL Draft in Montreal, in fact, suggested Boston would have swapped the 21-year-old to Toronto for 31-year-old defenseman Tomas Kaberle, but wanted the Maple Leafs' first-round draft pick (No. 7 overall) as part of the package. The Leafs, who still have a window of opportunity to trade Kaberle (he has a limited no-trade clause), signed free-agent defenseman Mike Komisarek and swapped Pavel Kubina for Atlanta's Garnet Exelby in a trade involving blue-liners on Wednesday, further increasing the odds that Kaberle will be traded. Recchi's return could also impact veteran left wing P.J. Axelsson, who became an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday. Chiarelli said Wednesday that Axelsson, a career-long Bruin , was exploring the open market, but would give Boston a chance to match offers. Now, however, the B's may no longer have room for him. Recchi, who has scored 545 career goals and 1,442 points in 1,490 games, had 10 goals and 16 points in 18 games after joining the Bruins last season. Counting his time in Tampa Bay, he finished with 23 goals, his 16th season of 20 goals or more. He was 3-3-6 in 11 playoff games, despite playing with a kidney stone. Around the boards Left wing Milan Lucic was one of 25 forwards invited to Canada's Olympic Orientation Camp, which will be held Aug. 24-27 in Calgary. Among those left out were Bruins center Marc Savard, who didn't get an invitation despite finishing ninth in the NHL in scoring (fourth among Canadian players) with 88 points. ... The Bruins announced that their third annual Development Camp will be held Tuesday through next Saturday, July 7-11, at Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington. Twenty-five prospects - most of them draft picks - will practice daily at 9:30 a.m., beginning on Wednesday. On-ice workouts are open to the public, free of charge. The complete schedule can be found at www.bostonbruins.com. READ MORE about this issue.