Bruins sign Mark Kastelic to three-year contract extension

TORONTO – Mark Kastelic has provided some strength to the Bruins lineup, and on Friday the club provided some security for Kastelic.

The Bruins signed Kastelic to a three-year contract extension through 2027-28 with an annual cap hit of $1.56 million.

Acquired from the Senators as part of the Linus Ullmark trade in the offseason, Kastelic has made an immediate impact in Boston.

The fourth-line center has four goals and 11 points in 39 games and has provided some muscle with a willingness to protect his teammates by dropping his gloves.

“That excitement and energy and physicality that he can bring can change the course of the game,” Bruins captain Brad Marchand said after a November win over Utah in which Kastelic battled Robert Bortuzzo. “It made us feel emotionally engaged and that is necessary all year round. “With guys like him, you can never really understand how valuable they are.”

Kastelic is tied for the NHL lead in penalty minutes, with teammate Nikita Zadorov, with 76.

“I definitely feel like the guys in this room have a lot of respect for that, which I appreciate,” Kastelic said of their willingness to go toe-to-toe. “I’m just trying to make the best impact I can in any way, shape, or form.”

Entering Saturday’s game against the Maple Leafs, Kastelic had a team-high 151 hits. Only Vancouver’s Kiefer Sherwood (214) had more.

You can contact Jim McBride at [email protected]. follow him @globejimmcbride.