Mat Bartkowski

The Bruins announced Tuesday that they have signed defenseman Matt Bartkowski to a one-year contract extension through next season and signed Minnesota-Duluth defenseman Chris Casto to an entry level contract.

Bartkowski’s deal is a one-way contract worth $650,000. The 24-year-old has skated in the Bruins’ last two games, totaling no points and a minus-2 rating.

Johnny Boychuk will miss Saturday’s game against the Maple Leafs, with Matt Bartkowski making his season debut in Boychuk’s place. Boychuk suffered a leg injury in Friday’s practice, causing the B’s to recall Bartkowski from Providence.

Rich Peverley, who was a healthy scratch Thursday against the Senators, is back in the lineup. Claude Julien is keeping Ryan Spooner in the lineup, with Jordan Caron a healthy scratch against the Leafs. Spooner will center Peverley and Jay Pandolfo.

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The Bruins recalled defenseman Matt Bartkowski on an emergency basis Friday, the same day that defenseman Johnny Boychuk left practice with a right leg injury.

Bartkowski will be available for Saturday’s game against the Maple Leafs. The 24-year-old has three goals and 21 assists for 24 points in 56 games this season.

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The Bruins cut down the number or players in camp Thursday night, announcing four player moves. Defenseman Matt Bartkowski and forward Ryan Spooner were assigned to Providence, forward Jamie Tardiff was waived with for the purpose of assignment to Providence and defenseman Aaron Johnson was sent to Providence on a conditioning loan.

The transactions leave forwards Chris Bourque and Lane MacDermid as well as defenseman David Warsofsky as the Providence players still in camp. Bourque is expected to begin the season on Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley’s line, with MacDermid and Jay Pandolfo left to battle for the extra forward spot. Pandolfo is in camp on a tryout.

The Bruins could recall Johnson from his conditioning stint. Should he remain in Providence, Warsofsky will begin the season as the team’s seventh defenseman.

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The Bruins announced Thursday morning that they have sent defenseman Matt Bartkowski to Providence, indicating that either Steven Kampfer or Adam McQuaid is healthy and ready to return to the lineup against the Maple Leafs.

Bartkowski had a rough go of it in a season in which he likely wouldn’t have made the team if not for Kampfer’s left knee injury. In three games, Bartkowski was a minus-2. He averaged 6:08 of ice time.

Kampfer, who dealt with a right knee injury late last season and into the playoffs, sprained his left knee in a Sept. 29 preseason game against the Senators, but recently returned to practice and on Wednesday took contact for the first time. McQuaid, who injured his neck last Wednesday, was considered a game-time decision for Tuesday’s game against Carolina, but has not been seen on the ice since that day’s morning skate, seemingly due to a setback.

According to a tweet from the Boston Globe’s Fluto Shinzawa, defenseman Adam McQuaid (illness) will not play in the Bruins’ season-opener Thursday against the Flyers. Matt Bartkowski, who was set to begin the season as the team’s seventh defenseman, will reportedly play in McQuaid’s place.

McQuaid participated in Thursday’s morning skate, but coach Claude Julien said after the skate that a decision on his status would be made closer to game time.

Adam McQuaid participated in the Bruins’ morning skate Thursday, taking the ice for the first time since Tuesday. The second-year defenseman had been under the weather, causing him to leave Tuesday’s practice early and miss Wednesday’s altogether.

Claude Julien expressed some optimism after the skate but said the Bruins will make a decision “closer to the game” regarding whether McQuaid will play. If McQuaid can’t go, Matt Bartkowski will play in his place.

Then there’s the question of who will be the healthy scratch among forwards. One would imagine it would be down to third-line wingers Jordan Caron and Benoit Pouliot. Julien did not reveal who would end up watching from the press, saying “we told everybody to be ready for tonight.”

Just a hunch, but the feeling here is that the Bruins pull a bit of a surprise and make Pouliot the scratch.