The Boston Bruins signed forward Jesper Boqvist to a one-year, one-way contract carrying a league-minimum cap hit of $775K, the team announced Wednesday.
Boqvist found himself an unrestricted free agent this summer after the New Jersey Devils opted not to issue him a qualifying offer. He’ll stay within the conference, just a few hours’ drive away from the New York area, on a league-minimum deal.
The contract does come in a few thousand dollars under the qualifying offer he was due from New Jersey, which would’ve carried a value of $917,831 in the NHL. He does secure a one-way agreement, though, something he was likely looking for after playing in 70 games for the Devils last year.
His 10 goals, 11 assists and 21 points weren’t career-highs, however — he tallied 10 goals and 13 assists for 23 points in just 56 games with the Devils the year prior. The 2017 second-round pick is showing he can stick in the NHL full-time as a reliable bottom-six scorer, and the cap-strapped Bruins are more than happy to get his services on a league-minimum deal.
The 24-year-old will maintain his restricted free-agent status at the end of next season, meaning he’ll be under team control next offseason. He could slot in as the team’s fourth-line center behind Pavel Zacha, Charlie Coyle and Morgan Geekie, and he’ll likely be an everyday player for the Bruins as a gigantic chunk was taken out of last season’s elite scoring depth.
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