The Boston Bruins signed unrestricted free agent defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk to a one-million-dollar, one-year contract. This contract carries him through the 2023-24 season.
Kevin Shattenkirk Signs Deal with the Boston Bruins
Over a 13-year NHL career, Shattenkirk has played for the Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, Washington Capitals, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Anaheim Ducks. He has put up 97 goals and 363 assists for 460 career points in 891 career games. Colorado originally drafted him in the first round, 14th overall of the 2007 NHL Draft.
Last season he scored four goals and 23 assists for 27 points in 75 games with Anaheim. The veteran defenseman came over from the Lighting on a three-year contract back in 2020. In addition, Shattenkirk has played in 85 career playoff games, including a Stanley Cup with the Lighting in 2019-20.
What This Means
Shattenkirk has had a track record over his 13-year career of being a quality offensive defenseman. He had a drop in offensive production his first year in Anaheim, scoring only 15 points, but bounced back with respectable numbers the past two seasons. He was brought in to bring championship pedigree and a veteran presence for the Ducks backend, but that still couldn’t stop them from being the worst defensive unit in the salary-cap era. However, with a new team and system, there is hope he can bounce back into being a solid two-way veteran d-man.
The 34-year-old doesn’t boast the same offensive acumen he once did but showed with the Lighting during their cup run that he could play minutes in all situations. The Boston Bruins will look to deploy Shattenkirk the same way Anaheim did, as a veteran presence on the blue line. Kevin Shattenkirk signing with Boston makes sense for both sides here.
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