Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs met with the local media prior to tonight's season-opener against the Canadiens and admitted he would like to see No. 44 back in the lineup, but also realizes that this is the third time Boynton has held out.

"I've talked to Mike and it's very much up to Mike and Nick," said Jacobs. "Commenting probably won't do anything good on that [situation]. But, Nick has a history and you have to realize where he is coming from. He did not go through arbitration and he is sitting out right now. To me, it's not smart."

Boynton was originally drafted by the Washington Capitals as their first pick (ninth overall) in the 1997 NHL entry draft, but he did not sign and re-entered the draft. The Bruins selected him with their first pick (21st overall) in the 1999 draft.

Boynton also held out at the beginning of the 2003-2004 season before signing a two-year deal worth $3 million just days before the season-opener. This time, the Bruins were offering Boynton $1.75 million and his camp was seeking $1.9 million.

"I don't know what to say about it," said Jacobs. "I know we are on the right side of this, but time will tell if we get him back. I wish to heck that we had him tonight. He could play an important role for this club and we would like to keep him."

Speculation is the Bruins increased their offer and a possible deal could be finalized by early next week.