Defenseman Anton Stralman has converted on his PTO with the Boston Bruins, signing a one-year, $1M contract, according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun.
Stralman brings 930 games of NHL experience to a Bruins blueline that’s battered with injuries, missing two of their three best defensemen in Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk. While he’s no longer the player he was at his peak with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the mid-2010s, he’s still a capable right-shot man who can log bottom-pairing minutes comfortably. He’ll be supporting Brandon Carlo, Connor Clifton, and Jakub Zboril on the team’s right side with McAvoy remaining out until around Thanksgiving.
Playing last season with the Arizona Coyotes, Stralman notched eight goals, 15 assists, and 23 points in 74 games, his best offensive totals in six years. He won’t be asked to play the 21-plus minutes per game he did in Arizona last season, either, and with a bit more support around him, expect him to play comfortably on the Bruins blue line.
Stralman could easily form a shutdown third pairing alongside Derek Forbort to begin the season, or he could also be a defensive anchor on the team’s second pairing alongside a more offensively-minded Mike Reilly.
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