Stuart

Multiple outlets are reporting the Bruins have re-signed defenseman Mark Stuart for one year at $1.675 million.

Stuart was a restricted free agent who turned down arbitration because Boston and his agent Matt Keator were close to agreeing to a deal. The team has not yet announced the deal because they typically don’t put out press releases after 9 p.m.

Despite being a three-year veteran, Stuart will make $200,000 less than Johnny Boychuk, who is entering his second NHL season and was the seventh defenseman for half of his rookie year. Stuart has never been a regular among the top four, so he probably expects to have a solid, healthy season and then cash is as an unrestricted free agent next summer.

The Bruins now have their defense sextet set, plus they added free agent Nathan McIver earlier this week as insurance. More important, the team has just a shade more than $1 million left in cap space, according to CapGeek.com, with Blake Wheeler, Adam McQuaid and Gregory Campbell still left to re-sign as restricted free agents. Wheeler and Campbell could be headed to arbitration.