Gregory Campbell -- Photo: Bridget Samuels/Ikeastan Hockey

WILMINGTON, Mass. — When Boston dealt defenseman Dennis Wideman and a couple of draft picks to Sunrise, Fla., this offseason, most fans in-and-around The Hub were ecstatic to hear about goal-scoring Nathan Horton coming to town to help the offensively-challenged B’s light the lamp.

What some didn’t see was the other half of that deal, Gregory Campbell: the replacement for the hard-nosed, penalty-killing ace, and fourth-line center, Steve Begin from the season before.

Even now  just five games into this 2010-11 NHL season, that “throw-in deal” from the Florida Panthers is becoming more than just your stereotypical fourth-liner, but rather a hockey player whose overall contributions are helping the Bruins to such a great start.

“If you ask any hockey player, the game’s all about confidence. So when the coaching staff and Claude shows that in me, it helps my game.” Campbell said today after the Bruins’ practice in Wilmington. “And for him to trust, not only me but our line…that goes a long way.”

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