After spending two months on a professional tryout (PTO), veteran forward Tyler Johnson has finally signed an actual contract with the Boston Bruins. The team announced Monday afternoon that it has signed Johnson to a one-year deal worth $775,000, the veteran minimum.
Johnson, 34, had been with the Bruins on the PTO since the start of training camp. He played in three preseason games and tied for the team lead in preseason points with two (one goal, one assist). He remained in Boston once the regular season started and continued to practice with the team, but was unable to play in games since he had not yet signed a contract.
It was clear that there was mutual interest in eventually getting a contract done, but the Bruins likely wanted to wait as they sorted out their roster in order to avoid exposing more players to waivers than they needed to. The door was finally opened when the team waived Riley Tufte last week, freeing up the roster spot and cap space needed to sign Johnson, but it still took another week before the deal got finalized.
Johnson brings a lot more experience to the Bruins’ forward group, as he now begins his 13th NHL season. He also brings some speed and skill that has been lacking much of the season. While Johnson is no longer the player who topped 70 points earlier in his career, he did score 17 goals in Chicago last season, his highest total in five years. It is worth noting, however, that eight of those goals and 16 of his 31 points overall came on the power play. On a per-60-minute basis, his five-on-five production actually plummeted to career lows last year.
So, it very much remains to be seen just how much Johnson will be able to help a five-on-five offense that currently ranks 26th in goals, 20th in scoring chances, and 23rd in high-danger chances. That said, the Bruins may also want to utilize his power-play expertise, as their man advantage ranks 26th in the NHL at 14.8%.
Johnson did look good in training camp and the preseason, and he saw time at all three forward positions and played up and down the lineup. His best preseason game came when he was playing third-line center between Trent Frederic and Justin Brazeau. Johnson could get another look on the third line now, or coach Jim Montgomery could try him at second-line right wing. Even if he doesn’t settle into one spot in particular, he could serve as a Swiss Army knife who can plug in anywhere.
Johnson could make his Bruins regular-season debut as early as Tuesday night in Toronto. Ironically, his signing comes after a two-win weekend in which Montgomery finally found some lines he liked, so it's unclear if Johnson is going to play right away or just serve as an extra forward to start.
UPDATE: Johnson will play Tuesday night in Toronto and will be on a third line with Frederic and Matt Poitras, according to Jim McBride of the Boston Globe.