When the Bruins signed four forwards on the first day of free agency on July 1, Danton Heinen was not one of them. When they signed a fifth two weeks later, it was Jesper Boqvist, not Heinen. When they decided to bring in a veteran forward on a professional tryout in late August, the first choice was Alex Chiasson, not Heinen.
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It wasn’t until Sept. 5 that Boston added Heinen to the mix, bringing the 28-year-old winger in on a PTO that guaranteed nothing. The Bruins are sure glad they did right about now.
Heinen scored his third goal of the season in the Bruins’ 3-0 win over the San Jose Sharks, igniting a much-needed bounce-back performance by giving them a 1-0 lead early in the second period. Playing on a line with Brad Marchand and Matt Poitras, he helped create several other chances, be it by winning battles, picking off a breakout pass, or blocking a shot to start a transition.
They’re the kinds of plays Bruins coach Jim Montgomery saw from Heinen when he coached him at the University of Denver, and that he’s seeing from him more and more now.
“What we’ve seen from him is a guy who is playing the right way,” Montgomery said of Heinen Thursday morning. “He’s reloading well. We keep track of 50/50 battles. He’s someone that’s winning at a 64 percent level. So, we’re getting the puck. He’s ending plays and we’re going the other way, or he’s keeping pucks alive in the offensive zone. And he’s made a lot of good offensive plays, either support plays usually, and he’s becoming more primary. We’ve encouraged him to use his shot more, and I think he’s done that the last five games.”
Make it the last six, because it was that shot-ready mentality that allowed Heinen to blast a pass from Poitras past Mackenzie Blackwood from a fairly low angle.
Heinen is up to seven points in 14 games this season. That might not jump off the page at first glance, but let’s not forget that the start to Heinen’s season was anything but normal. He remained on a PTO, technically unsigned, through the end of October. While he was practicing and traveling with the team, he did not play in the first eight games of the season.
Unsurprisingly, it took Heinen a little bit to get up to speed once he finally did sign a one-year, $775,000 contract. He had one point in his first six games while playing 9-12 minutes per game. Since scoring his first goal on Nov. 14, Heinen has had a point in six of the last eight games and is now consistently playing 13-15 minutes per night.
Heinen is up to fifth on the team in 5-on-5 goals (1.10) and points (2.20) per 60 minutes. Those would both be career-best marks if he keeps it up. Only David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand are taking more shots per 60, and only Pastrnak, Marchand and Jake DeBrusk have had more individual scoring chances per 60. The Bruins are outscoring opponents 8-4 with Heinen on the ice, and they have an expected goals share of 54.3%.
“Very good, responsible player all over the ice,” Marchand said of his new linemate. “It always seems like the puck is around him. Really sneaky good two-way player. Really strong defensive stick and very smart with the puck. He's got incredible IQ with the puck and hockey IQ away from it. So, he’s been a huge addition to our group. It's fun to see him do well.”
Marchand sees clear improvement from Heinen’s last stint in Boston, which covered the first three-plus years of his career from 2016-20.
“He’s definitely much more mature and much stronger,” Marchand said. “He handles pace a lot better now, which comes with maturity and age and experience. Sometimes you just need a little extra time to get used to the pace and everything. He's found that, and now he's thriving out there.”
Where Heinen fits in the lineup long-term remains to be seen. One of his most valuable traits is that he can be a Swiss Army knife who can move up and down the lineup, play either wing, and complement pretty much anyone. Playing on a line with Marchand might not have been something anyone really expected, and it’s too early to tell if it will stick, but their first game together was encouraging, with Montgomery saying he “really liked” the way that line played.
Montgomery may have summed up Heinen’s second stint in Boston best: He’s just playing good hockey and helping the Bruins win.
“Danton Heinen’s a real good hockey player, and he’s playing real good hockey for us,” Montgomery said. “He’s making plays all over the ice. He’s making those around him better.”