BOSTON — Most NHL veterans look at preseason games as something of a necessary evil, especially if they’ve played almost 600 games that have real meaning.

Teddy Purcell has known that feeling. He also knows a new feeling.

Purcell knows he needs to look good. The 32-year-old winger, a veteran of four NHL teams (he played for one of them twice), is in training camp with the Bruins on a tryout, fighting to earn a contract for the first time since the Kings signed him 10 years ago as an undrafted free agent from the University of Maine.

“This is the first time in my career that I don’t have a contract in training camp, so it’s different,” said Purcell, who spent his best NHL days with the Lightning from the end of 2009-10 through 2013-14.

“When you have that contract and security, it’s not that you take (exhibition) games off, but you use them to work on yourself. You don’t exactly ease into it, but you have a lot more room for error, and the coach gives you a longer leash. Here, I’m going to have a short leash. I’ve got to impress them early, and often.”

Purcell is coming off a disappointing second stint with the Kings, who signed the Saint John’s, Newfoundland, native to a one-year, $1.6-million deal on July 1, 2016, but used him in only 12 games before sending him to their AHL affiliate in Ontario, California, in December. Purcell, who hadn’t played in the AHL since 2008-09, never made it back to Los Angeles.

“I know I’m fortunate to be here on a tryout,” Purcell said. “Hopefully I can come in, play my game, show them some consistency with the chances that I get.”

After spending the first three days of training camp at right wing on a line with established NHLers Matt Beleskey and Ryan Spooner, Purcell practiced Monday with Anton Blidh and Austin Czarnik, whose pro careers have mainly been confined to the AHL. Rookie Anders Bjork skated with Beleskey and Spooner in Monday night’s preseason opener against the Canadiens in Quebec City.

Purcell tries to ignore things like that.

“This is my 11th training camp, so I’ve seen a lot of things,” he said. “Maybe when I was younger, I’d kind of read into who I was playing with, but coaches just try to find some early chemistry. The lines are going to change throughout training camp. Everyone’s going to get different looks.”

Beleskey, who played frequently against Purcell when Beleskey was with the Ducks and Purcell was with the Oilers, knows a bit about Purcell’s track record, which includes 51- and 65-point seasons with the Lightning in 2010-11 and 2011-12.

“He’s a good playmaker, has a good shot, good vision,” Beleskey said. “He’s a guy I’ve always watched … especially on the power play.”

Purcell, in fact, has been something of a power-play specialist throughout his career. Of his 307 career points (101 goals, 206 assists) in 571 games, 105 have come during manpower advantages.

Purcell likes the way Coach Bruce Cassidy wants the Bruins to play, and hopes to prove he can help.

“I didn’t know a whole lot about the coaching staff coming in, what their style was or what they expected,” he said. “But they want to do a fast pace, they want to move the puck quick. It’s fun.”

NOTES: Cassidy said Bjork, who practiced exclusively with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron for the first three days of camp, “will probably find his way back there at some point. … It’s our intention to play that line together, and see what they look like in a game.” … After three days with veteran Kevan Miller, rookie defenseman Charlie McAvoy practiced Monday with Zdeno Chara, while Miller went to Quebec and teamed with rookie Jeremy Lauzon against the Canadiens. … Winger Cedric Pare, the Bruins’ sixth-round choice (No. 173 overall) in this year’s draft, was returned to the Saint John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.