Late last night, the Boston Bruins came to terms with one of their restricted free agents, signing Danton Heinen to a two-year contract through the 2020-21 season. The deal carries an average annual value of $2.8MM and will keep Heinen an RFA at its expiration.
The Bruins have several other restricted free agents to sign including Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo, but Heinen was the only one who was eligible and had filed for salary arbitration. This deal avoids that sometimes messy situation and gives the 24-year old forward a nice bridge contract. In parts of three seasons Heinen has recorded 81 points in 162 games, a pace that actually declined last season when he was able to register just 11 goals and 34 points. In the playoffs the young forward has all but disappeared, scoring just nine points in 33 games.
Still, there is a lot to like in his offensive profile and to get any production out of a fourth-round pick is a win for the Bruins. Though originally selected as a potential center, Heinen has played almost exclusively on the wing in the NHL and projects to stay there for the time being. The former University of Denver standout can be extremely elusive at times in the offensive zone and surprise defenders with his puck skills, but too rarely uses these talents to create and can rely on his linemates. If he can find a little more consistency while playing on this new contract, Heinen can set himself up for a big payday in 2021 when he has just a single year of restricted free agency left.
For the Bruins, even though they knew it was coming this deal does complicate things somewhat. The team now has just $7.4MM in cap space and two huge negotiations with McAvoy and Carlo to come. Since that cap number is assuming a 23-man roster there is some more wiggle room from the players that will be sent down to make room for the pair of young defensemen, but even so the Bruins will be extremely tight to the cap after inking the new deals. That is of course unless they find a way to move David Backes’ $6MM hit, though the market for such a contract is obviously not a huge one.
7.4MM to sign McAvoy and Carlo. After all the garbage Bruin players/fans have said about Marner and his contract situation over the last year, I will laugh my ass off if the Bruins can’t/won’t give McAvoy the money he wants and he ends up holding out. He’s already turned down one extension.
How do you know that? The BS stories I’ve heard were just that, BS. This guy sucks, but under $3 is fine in today’s market. When foolish teams are paying over $7 million per for 3rd line centers like Hayes, this here is a bargain. Carlo should get $4.5 million per for 3-5 years. Bruins should try and get CM73 hopefully for $6.5-7.5 for 5, if that can be done it will be solid. Look for Krug to be traded ADSP to make the room. This idiot GM Sweeney should have traded Krug at the draft. Teams would have making solid offers and we could have signed JOJO also. Instead, at the moment there’s no way this fool gets top return for Krug because every team out there knows he needs to make a deal to fit everyone under the cap. Making the finals this season without winning the cup is going to really hurt this organization for many years to come. They will most likely be on the outside looking in this year already. Toronto should come in first followed be Tampa, and others. So many teams did excellent moves this off season while the Bruins fell in love with marginally good players that they think will be great for years to come. Be alert fans, the bottom is just about to fall out. How many more call ups will fail again this season just like the last 4-5 years? Drafting hasn’t been good at all.
If this is the worst deal Boston signs this offseason I’m okay with it. Short-term, low $$$, can’t complain even if Heinen struggles. Still curious as to how Sweeney signs both McAvoy and Carlo.
Hey, he’s not just “the idiot GM”, he’s The Demon Barber! In this farce of a cap era, almost no team has selling leverage, unless the target buyer is a dope who severely overpays. And, yes, we all know of several of them. Top return in the cap era isn’t the same as pre-cap, and it probably never will be. The new tool for teams to fight back against “problem-child players” (those that actually demand to get paid what they are really worth) is signing fringe players to fill up that cap space that should have been used for the more valuable player, but is, in effect just pissed away so the problem-child player gets less. Taking food off the plate of the player who has earned it just isn’t cool, but that’s the new wave of GM tactics today…
Not withstanding the contract of Heinen , with the thought of losing Krug, via trade if possible return as you say should have moved him before draft, losing Carlo, who plays in 2nd pairing with Krug, and possibilities of McAvoy holding out, or worse losing one or both , is a result of the selfishness of Backes wanting his money albeit a good player and veteran, in that now with lesser team salary cap, that NO one can take on the $6 million, for a 3rd line player , playing along side Heinen , is not allowing Boston to keep their young core defenseman for years to come, this is not all Sweeney’s fault cause of selfishness on Backes’s fault for being so greedy, and will as said cost the team in standings and years to come by losing not one , but possibly 2 or 3 key pieces, so now will see Tampa and Toronto battling for 1st for a few years to come, terrible move with Backes, Sweeney shouldn’t protect him at end of up coming season and let Seattle have him.
The Bruins also signed that contract. Boston put themselves in this position. And how exactly is Backes greedy for wanting the money owed to him?
The Bruins need to bite the bullet and do a salary dump. It’s embarrassing but necessary. They’ll have to send picks and/or prospects to a team like the Leafs did with Marleau. They’ll just have to pay more because his production is worse than Marleau. Buyout isn’t an option
alright am wrong again on the selfishness of Backes, you lose Krug at $5.25 with the $7.4 gives you 12, 650,000 , so I see now can boost up McAvoy from 916.000 to $4 m , Carlo 789,000 to say 3.5m now you have to bring in Miller to take spot in lineup or bring up Clifton or Vaakanainen. maybe a little wiggle room to move around to others or save money for later , via trade of free agency , not looking to bad after all, thanks Jimmy had to do some ciphering on salaries. My cousin Jethro and I from Tennessee worked on this for awhile .
https://www.capfriendly.com/depth-charts/bruins
Agree. Sweeney should’ve just attached their low 1st round pick to Backes to get rid of his contract prior to the draft and re-sign everyone. Now he’s up against it, so hopefully Sweeney will be able to deal his other poor signing, John Moore, before the season to sort this mess out.