Nathan Horton has nothing enlightening to offer about his history in the NHL playoffs.
That is because Horton has never participated in the NHL playoffs.
Horton, 25, appeared in 422 games over six seasons with the Florida Panthers. None of those games was played after the second week in April. His exclusion from the postseason is a humbling gap in his resume, and it accentuated the unfulfilled expectations of a player who was a high first-round draft pick (No. 3 overall in 2003).
The right winger welcomed the trade orchestrated June 22 by Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli. The deal brought in Horton and center Gregory Campbell from the Panthers for defenseman Dennis Wideman and draft picks.
''It's been tough; six years is a long time to play in this league without being in the playoffs and that's why I'm so excited to be here,'' Horton said. ''This is hockey country, one of the Original Six teams, so it's exciting to be in this kind of situation and environment.
''There are a lot of special, talented players on this club, so to come into a situation like this is pretty nice. Here we are thinking about the Stanley Cup, not just about making the playoffs.''
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Horton was an attractive acquisition for many reasons. The B's needed an oversized forward willing to do the dirty work in the corners.
They also needed a scoring element to complement their strong defense and goaltending, and Horton met that standard. Chiarelli and coach Claude Julien also were dealing with opening the season without leading goalscorer Marco Sturm (knee surgery) and playmaking center Marc Savard (post-concussion syndrome).
Horton played in 20 games against the Bruins and recorded six goals with six assists. Chiarelli had an idea of what Horton could bring to a B's attack that finished 2009-10 ranked last in the league in goals per game.
In a productive preseason, Horton was most effective when lined up next to Krejci and opposite left winger Milan Lucic. The line's chemistry carried over into the weekend's season-opening series against the Phoenix Coyotes in Prague, Czech Republic. Horton scored twice in a 5-2 loss Saturday, and added a goal and an assist in Sunday's 3-0 victory.
''Every day I'm feeling better and better, and Claude is a great coach, he really knows what he's doing,'' Horton said. ''The players have helped me a lot and made me feel comfortable, so I'm excited to get the year going.
''I just want to do the things that make me a better player in terms of skating and hitting and shooting. That's what I want to try. When I'm doing that, I'm more effective because everybody does different things and we have to work together as a line.''
Horton posted decent scoring numbers (142 goals, 153 assists) despite the everyday chaos he experienced during his tenure in Florida. But he craved the consistency in style and chemistry he has felt thus far with the Bruins.
''There were so many changes there, players, coaches and managers,'' he said. ''There is a good vibe flying around here, and it is nice to be around so many good players and thinking about the Cup.''
- rthompson@bostonherald.com ÿ1A
