Tyler Johnson has found a new home with the Boston Bruins, signing a one-year deal for the 2024-25 NHL season.
The contract is worth $775K, and with this addition, Boston now has a full roster of 23 players and about $515K left in cap space. The Bruins have struggled to find consistency in their forward lines this year, so Johnson might fit into the middle six. While he’s not the scoring machine he once was with Tampa Bay Lightning, his Stanley Cup experience could be valuable for a team that hasn’t reached past the second playoff round since 2019. Over the past three years with Chicago Blackhawks, he scored 32 goals and 70 points but had a -64 rating.
Johnson’s defensive skills are better than his stats from Chicago suggest. This should help improve Boston’s defense, which currently allows an average of 3.23 goals per game. The Bruins also struggle with possession; they rank low at 24th place in CorsiFor% at just 48.3%. Johnson has maintained a career CF% of 52.1%, even averaging around 49.7% during his time in Chicago .
What Fans Might Think:
Fans might feel hopeful about this move but wonder if it’s enough to turn things around for Boston’s offense ranked at an unimpressive 27th place.
While Johnson could play on the penalty kill team too, fixing their average performance there isn’t top priority right now given other pressing issues on ice. On paper, adding him seems like progress for Boston but maybe not quite what they need to completely change their game dynamics.
In your opinion, do you think Tyler will make a big difference?
