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The Boston Bruins have been active early in NHL free agency. They started the day by trading for Edmonton Oilers forward Viktor Arvidsson and also signed Tanner Jeannot. Minutes later, Don Sweeney made two more low-cost signings. The Bruins have brought Sean Kuraly back and signed Mikey Eyssimont during NHL free agency.
“Kuraly 2 yrs 1.85, Eyssimont 2 yrs 1.45. W/ Bruins,” Anthony Di Marco of Daily FaceOff reported.
The Bruins finished last in the Atlantic Division last season, even after a stellar year from David Pastrnak. They picked James Hagens seventh overall in the draft, and have prioritized depth in free agency. Despite those moves, they are still lacking an elite top-six center. Those don't come around very often, so they must develop centers soon.
The Bruins picked up an extra first-round pick in each of the next two seasons at the deadline. That will help them make a trade if it is available or stock their pipeline. With Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retired, Pavel Zacha ended the year as their top-line center. One in-house improvement they need to see is from Elias Lindholm, who is on a massive contract and was disappointing in his first season with Boston.
Kuraly spent the first five years of his career in Boston. They picked him up in a 2015 trade that sent Martin Jones to San Jose, and had him for 270 games. After those five years, he signed a four-year deal with his hometown Columbus Blue Jackets. Now, he's back in Boston. He is not a huge scoring threat, but he can stabilize their bottom six.
Mikey Eyssimont is a similar player, scoring 25 goals in 213 career games so far. That production has come with four different NHL teams, including three with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bruins have added NHL-caliber depth to their forward unit with these moves.
