The Boston Bruins have announced that they have extended forward Oskar Steen, landing him on a two-year, one-way contract with an $800,000 cap hit. Steen, 24, was set to be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent this offseason, meaning with this extension Boston has avoided the prospect of going to arbitration with Steen, a process many view as a headache to be avoided if possible.
Steen was the Bruins’ sixth-round pick in the 2016 draft (#165 overall) and has developed nicely since that point. Not every sixth-round pick gets a contract from the team that drafts him, let alone makes it to the NHL, so Steen’s career thus far has exceeded what could reasonably be expected from him given his draft slot. Steen has gotten into 19 NHL games this season and has posted a respectable six points. Steen is listed at five-foot-nine, 199 pounds, so he is a bit undersized, but he has found success as a professional in North America despite that limitation, thanks to his skating and compete level.
Steen has scored well for the AHL’s Providence Bruins this season, with 15 goals and 31 points in 41 games, good for fourth on the team. It’s clear from the fact that this is a one-way deal that the Bruins’ management views him as someone ready to step into the NHL lineup. At an $800k cap hit, there is very little risk for Boston in signing Steen for these next two seasons, because at the very least he’ll be a reasonably young impact player in Providence. But if Steen can continue his development, the Bruins will have gotten something that is ever-valuable in the NHL: a young, reliable, (and most importantly) cost-controlled depth player.