Chris Kelly’s line has one new member on it heading into this season. That’s enough to make it the most radically changed line on the Bruins. 

David Krejci and Milan Lucic’s line of the last two seasons is reunited thanks to the return of a healthy Nathan Horton; Patrice Bergeron is back with Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin; and the re-signings of Shawn Thornton, Gregory Campbell and Daniel Paille means the Merlot Line hasn’t changed a drop. 

The third line, however, which has featured Kelly and Rich Peverley for the majority of the time since the two were acquired prior to the 2011 trade deadline, will once again see a new face on the left wing. First, it was Michael Ryder in 2011. Last season saw a revolving door that brought in and sent out the likes of Benoit Pouliot, Jordan Caron and Brian Rolston. Now it’s Chris Bourque’s turn. 

Bourque, the son of some defenseman named Ray, was brought in via trade over the summer when the B’s shipped the rights to Zach Hamill to Washington. He’s spent the majority of his career in the AHL (with stints in the NHL, KHL and Swiss League), and now he’s right where he wants to be.

“I was thrilled when I got the news that I was getting traded here,” Bourque said Wednesday. “I obviously grew up being a huge Bruins fan and cheering for them for the better part of my life. They've always been my favorite team. To come to training camp and put on the Bruins jersey is really exciting for me.”

Bourque isn’t the biggest guy on the Bruins’ roster. To be exact, he’s the smallest guy on the Bruins’ roster. At 5-foot-8, the 26-year-old stands an inch shorter and nine pounds lighter than Brad Marchand. With his skating and shot, he’ll bring a new type of presence to that ever-changing wing, and his linemates have liked what they’ve seen thus far. 

“I thought he had a pretty good [scrimmage] last night,” Peverley said after Wednesday’s practice. “I think going forward he's proven that he can get in there and he can battle and he can create offense. I think the most important thing for our line is to be good defensively and create energy. I thought he had a good game and it was good that we were able to create some chemistry, just to know where each other is going to be.”

In 33 NHL games, the former BU product has one goal and three assists for four points. He has the inside track on rounding out the Kelly line thanks to an upper-body injury that Caron suffered in Providence, which prevented the former first-round pick from being invited to training camp. 

Think of the Bruins’ third line as an aging rock band that has a different drummer on every tour. The rest of the band – Kelly and Peverley – has played together long enough to make it easy to add new pieces here and there, so as Bourque comes along, Peverley feels there’s already enough chemistry on the line to make it a smooth transition. 

“Pretty much it has been the two of us,” Peverley said. “I've been on different lines a lot and [Kelly] had a few different linemates last year because of injuries, but it's been nice because I know Chris Kelly's tendencies and I think he knows mine. I think just having that experience playing together has definitely helped.”

Kelly was quick to point out that a new linemate would be a common occurrence anywhere else, and that the fact that his line is the only one that’s changed speaks to how well the B’s have done at retaining key players. 

“I think we've been very lucky to have as many lines intact for as long as we have,” Kelly said. “It's nothing new having someone new.” 

As for what folks can expect from the line, it’s worth considering that the third line is the only line on the team that saw all three members play professionally during the lockout. Kelly played in Switzerland, Peverley played in Finland and Bourque played in Providence. In 32 AHL games during the lockout, Bourque scored eight goals with 20 assists for 28 points. 

“I'm in mid-season form. I've been playing since October, so I'm in game-shape,” Bourque said. “The pace is a little bit faster up here, but you get used to that. I feel like I'm starting to get my legs as this week-long training camp goes on. I'm starting to feel pretty good.”  

Kelly is coming off a career year in which he scored 20 goals for the first time and added 19 assists for a career-high 39 points. He then cashed in with a four-year, $12 million deal, and as projections are made for the coming season, it’s worth wondering whether Kelly will match his production of a season ago. 

“I'm not a goal-setter. I think if you're playing well, points will happen,” Kelly said. “I don't think I'm a player that's defined on points, thank goodness. Everybody wants to score and I want to contribute like I did last year, maybe even more so, but I think when the team's doing well, everyone's doing well.” 

Kelly may not be a goal-setter, but Bourque has probably set a simple goal: To stick with the line and the team for as long as he can. The most NHL games he’s played in a season was 20 with the Penguins in 2009-10, but he’s felt comfortable enough in his limited time with Peverley and Kelly thus far to think he can be more than a quick fix. 

“They do their own kind of thing,” Bourque said. “I think they've got real good chemistry. Any guy to be on that line is pretty lucky. You just kind of try to fill in that other lane and go to the net and give them the puck. It's been a great experience for me so far, and hopefully I stick around a lot longer to keep that going.”