DONE: Bruins crucial made basement signings agreement deal
Bruins GM Don Sweeney made several budget-conscious signings during the summer of 2023, aiming to bolster the team’s depth while managing tight salary cap restrictions.
Ironically, the player from that group who stirred up the most debate online ended up being the best acquisition: Danton Heinen, who far surpassed expectations in his second stint with the Bruins.
When Heinen was announced to be attending training camp on a professional tryout (PTO), fan reactions were divided, as they often have been with him.
Some fans felt Heinen wasn’t worth re-signing, even at a league-minimum salary, criticizing him for being too passive or not physical enough.
Others saw him as a smart, undervalued player who could play an important role for the Bruins.
The latter group was vindicated, as Heinen adapted well across various roles in the lineup and had the second-best offensive season of his career.
Heinen tallied 36 points, a total only exceeded by his 47 points during the 2018 season with the Bruins.
His 17 goals also marked the second-highest of his NHL career, following his 18-goal season with Pittsburgh in 2022.
Crucially for the Bruins, all but two of Heinen’s 36 points were scored at even strength, providing much-needed secondary scoring.
Heinen also contributed four game-winning goals and averaged over a minute per game on the penalty kill.
Additionally, he achieved the first hat trick of his NHL career, doing so against Montreal, no less.
Heinen contributed offensively, killed penalties, and consistently made smart decisions both with and without the puck—all for a modest $775,000.
If there’s anything to critique about Heinen’s season, it’s that his production dipped in the playoffs, where he managed just one point in eight games.
In fairness, it’s important to note that he was dealing with an injury during the latter part of the playoffs, which caused him to miss the end of the first round and most of the second round.
Overall, Heinen was a standout signing for Sweeney, exemplifying the type of low-risk, high-reward move that GMs hope for when offering a player a PTO.
Heinen proved to be a versatile and valuable player, someone the Bruins could definitely use in the upcoming season.
However, his performance earned him a well-deserved raise, and the Bruins opted not to match, leading him to sign a two-year deal with Vancouver worth $2.25 million per season.
Considering the expectations for Heinen, a 7.7 rating seems low to me—this was easily a 10.
Who knows—maybe we’ll see him back for a third stint with the Bruins in the future.