Both the 2005 and 2006 seasons represented a changing of the tides for the Boston Bruins.
Over the span of those two years, Mike O’Connell, Jeff Gorton and Peter Chiarelli orchestrated a number of moves that uprooted the Original Six franchise — dealing away Joe Thornton, adding Zdeno Chara and investing in the future with youngsters like Patrice Bergeron.
Given the amount of upheaval felt in those two years, we figured we'd take a long look at all the moves taken in the post-lockout era that have allowed Boston to keep a Cup-contending window open for over a decade now.
First up, we’re going to rank all of the Bruins’ free-agent signings since the 2005-06 season — from megadeals that transformed the franchise to one-year contracts that rounded out Boston’s bench.
In terms of parameters for which players did / did not make the cut:
- The free agent needed to play at least 40 games with the Bruins, or at least 10 games for goalies. So, alas, guys like Brian Gionta and Simon Gagné aren’t under consideration.
- Players claimed directly off of waivers also don’t make the list — sorry, Landon Ferraro.
- Both NHL UFAs and college free agents are up for grabs in this ranking, while an RFA that needed to be traded to Boston before inking a deal, like Jimmy Hayes, isn’t eligible.
Now that we got that out of the way, here’s Part I of our rankings — going from No. 42 to No. 22:
42. Jeff Hoggan, Winger
Signed with Boston in July 2006 (terms not disclosed)
47 GP - 0 goals, 2 assists, 33 PIM - 7:05 ATOI
While Hoggan primarily spent a good portion of his two-year tenure with the Bruins down in Providence, he did manage to skate in 46 games with the big club during the 2006-07 season — adding some snarl to Boston’s bottom-six corps.
41. Bobby Allen, Defenseman
Signed 1-year contract on July 17, 2006
50 GP - 0 goals, 3 assists - 11:51 ATOI
Originally drafted by the Bruins back in 1998, Allen — a Hingham native and BC alum — returned to his hometown club as a free agent ahead of the 2006-07 season. Allen’s physical play earned him a spot on the back end of Boston’s blue line, but injuries hampered him the following season — limiting him to just 19 games and eventually leading to his retirement.
40. Dan LaCouture, Winger
Signed with Providence Bruins during 2004-05 lockout
55 GP - 2 goals, 2 assists, 53 PIM - 6:15 ATOI
LaCouture, a BU product who attended Natick High School, signed with Providence during the 2004-05 lockout before joining Boston the following season, where he was primarily utilized as an enforcer on Boston’s fourth line.
39. Joonas Kemppainen, Winger
Signed 1-year, $792,500 contract on May 21, 2015
44 GP - 2 goals, 3 assists - 12:32 ATOI
After nine seasons spent in the Finnish Liiga, Kemppainen tried to break into the NHL ranks by signing a one-year, two-way deal with Boston. Ultimately, he didn’t stick — serving as a depth option on Boston’s bottom-six before signing a deal with a KHL club in May 2016.
38. Jason York, Defenseman
Signed 1-year, $500,000 contract in 2006
49 GP - 1 goals, 7 assists - 13:01 ATOI
While York had a productive NHL career that spanned five different teams, the blueliner was on his last legs by the time he signed a one-year deal with Boston. Following the 2004-05 lockout, York spent another season in Europe — eventually winning a Swiss League championship. Boston took a flier on him the following season, but the veteran was plagued throughout the year with knee issues. He retired at the conclusion of the 2006-07 campaign.
37. Jeremy Reich, Winger
Signed with Boston on September 7, 2005 (terms not disclosed)
90 GP - 2 goals, 3 assists, 141 PIM - 8:15 ATOI
Another fourth-line grinder who spent a good amount of time between Boston and Providence, Reich primarily served one purpose when out on the ice — leaving welts against the opposition. And that he did, with the hard-nosed winger racking up 141 penalty minutes over his two seasons up in the NHL with Boston.
36. Jonas Gustavsson, Goaltender
Signed 1-year, $700,000 contract on October 4, 2015
24 GP - 11-9-1, .908 save percentage, 2.72 GAA, 1 shutout
Invited to Boston’s training camp on a PTO ahead of the 2015-16 campaign, Gustavsson was eventually named as Tuukka Rask’s backup netminder for the year — inking a one-year deal just before regular-season play got underway. Ultimately, the Swede left a lot to be desired in what was a disappointing season for the B’s — posting just a .908 save percentage over 24 outings.
35. Austin Czarnik, Forward
Signed 2-year, $1.635 million contract as college FA on April 1, 2015
59 GP - 5 goals, 12 assists - 12:40 ATOI
Signed as an undrafted free agent after a strong collegiate career at Miami of Ohio, Czarnik primarily spent his Bruins career down in Providence, but proved he was capable of providing a spark in the bottom-six whenever he received the call up to Boston. Unable to earn regular minutes by the time he entered free agency, Czarnik signed a two-year, $2.5 million contract with the Flames back in July 2018.
34. Par Lindholm, Center
Signed 2-year, $1.7 million contract on July 1, 2019
40 GP - 3 goals, 3 assists - 11:15 ATOI
A depth piece for Boston so far in 2019-20, Lindholm has a chance to earn regular minutes the following year if the B’s move on from a few pending free agents. While he may not be flashy, Lindholm has actually been a plus-defensive contributor for Boston in his debut campaign. Even with unfavorable matchups as a fourth liner, Lindholm ranks first among B’s skaters (min. 300 minutes of 5v5 TOI) this year in goals against per 60 minutes at 0.64.
https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1208557327785299971
33. Matt Beleskey, Winger
Signed 5-year, $19 million contract on July 1, 2015
143 GP - 18 goals, 27 assists, 129 PIM - 14:29 ATOI
After scoring eight goals in 16 playoff games during the Ducks’ run to the Western Conference Finals in 2015, Beleskey cashed in on a long-term deal with Boston — with the Bruins looking for another bruising power forward to replace the then-traded Milan Lucic.
While Beleskey was suitable, if not unspectacular, in his first season with Boston (15 goals, 37 points in 80 games), things bottomed out in a hurry — with the winger only recording eight points over 49 games the following year.
After failing to record a single point over 14 games in Boston during the 2017-18 season, Beleskey was relegated down to Providence, before eventually being shipped to the Rangers as part of the Rick Nash deal.
Even if he was solid in his first campaign, Beleskey’s sharp decline — coupled with the money handed out from Boston back in 2015 — makes this a painful swing and a miss for the B’s.
32. Karson Kuhlman, Winger
Signed 2-year, $1.525 million contract as college FA on April 10, 2018
36 GP (+8 playoff games) - 5 goals, 9 assists - 12:25 ATOI
After captaining Minnesota Duluth to an NCAA title in 2018, Kuhlman signed with the Bruins as a college free agent — with the speedy, two-way winger quickly moving through the ranks of the organization. While Kuhlman’s 2019-20 season was sidelined due to a broken tibia, the Minnesota native has the chance to rise up this ranking in another season or two.
Kuhlman, who served as David Krejci’s right winger during the final stages of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, could excel in a fourth-line role if handed the minutes in 2020-21. He will be an RFA at the conclusion of this season.
https://twitter.com/Mike_Cratty/status/1270375510837690368
31. Frank Vatrano, Winger
Signed 3-year, $2.775 million contract as college FA on March 15, 2015
108 GP - 20 goals, 11 assists - 11:58 ATOI
A Western Mass. kid with a hell of a shot, Vatrano seemed to be on track to be a dependable, middle-six scorer for years to come thanks to a promising start to his NHL career. However, whether it be injuries or a stagnant development curve, Vatrano eventually fell out of favor in Boston’s rotation — scoring just two goals over 25 games in his final season with Boston before getting dealt to the Panthers for a third-round pick on Feb. 22, 2018. Boston used the selection to take Jakub Lauko.
30. John Moore, Defenseman
Signed 5-year, $13.75 million contract on July 1, 2018
85 GP - 6 goals, 10 assists - 18:09 ATOI
Moore is more knocked for his contract here, as the veteran would likely be a third-pairing regular on another NHL club that doesn’t boast as much defensive depth as Boston. Still, given the term Boston handed Moore back in July 2018, it seems like a given that the club wasn’t expecting youngsters like Matt Grzelcyk, Jeremy Lauzon and Connor Clifton to eclipse him when it comes to regular minutes.
Moore still provides value as a respected veteran in Boston’s room that can handle his own when pressed into game action, but that deal is certainly a sore spot when it comes to evaluating the defenseman’s tenure so far with Boston.
https://twitter.com/NHLBruins/status/1202795814936088581
29. Mark Mowers, Winger
Signed 2-year contract on July 6, 2006 (terms not disclosed)
78 GP - 5 goals, 12 assists - 12:00 ATOI
A bottom-six forward that followed Dave Lewis to Boston in 2006, Mowers was a regular in Boston’s lineup during the 2006-07 season, chipping in with 17 points while regularly earning shifts on the B’s PK unit.
28. Connor Clifton, Defenseman
Signed 2-year, $1.47 million contract as college FA on May 3, 2018
50 GP - 2 goals, 1 assist - 15:40 ATOI
While the baseline stats might not jump out, Clifton proved to be Boston’s top surprise during its run to the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, jumping in as a rookie and appearing in 18 playoff outings — recording five points and averaging 13:17 of ice time during that stretch. While “Cliffy Hockey” is already a fan favorite thanks to his hard-hitting style of play, he will likely need to battle with Jeremy Lauzon for Boston’s vacant spot on the third D pairing going forward. On a steal of a deal at $1 million AAV from 2020-23.
https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1195498537565523969
27. Steve Bégin, Center
Signed 1-year, $850,000 contract on July 1, 2009
77 GP - 5 goals, 9 assists, 53 PIM - 12:50 ATOI
While Begin was often a fly in the Bruins’ ointment during his tenure with the Habs, he was effective as a grinder in Boston’s bottom-six grouping during his lone season with the B’s — pestering the opposition while logging plenty of minutes on the penalty kill.
26. Derek Morris, Defenseman
Signed 1-year, $3.3 million contract on July 24, 2009
58 GP - 3 goals, 22 assists - 22:00 ATOI
An offensive-minded defenseman that logged heavy minutes and chipped in on Boston’s power play, Morris didn’t last his lone season with the B’s — as he was eventually dealt on March 3, 2010. Boston, in need of a steadier defensive presence on the blue line, traded for Dennis Seidenberg on the same day.
25. David Backes, Forward
Signed 5-year, $30 million contract on July 1, 2016
217 GP - 39 goals, 55 assists, 169 PIM - 14:43 ATOI
Yes, let’s get this out of the way first — this contract was not good. Rather, it was pretty dreadful — with many expecting the final years of this deal to be nothing short of disaster. They were correct.
Given Backes’ production and the effect this contract had in terms of hampering the B’s from improving elsewhere in the lineup, it’d be easy to bury this deal near the bottom of the rankings.
However, we’ll give Backes a bit of a benefit of the doubt here. Having missed out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs the previous two seasons, Boston opted to bring in a respected, veteran voice in Backes — who was quickly asserted himself as an accountable presence in a B’s locker room that quickly became filled with many younger skaters.
While the wheels eventually came off when it came to Backes’ ability to thrive in his regular role as a two-way power forward, it certainly wasn’t for a lack of effort on the veteran’s part. Despite battling through various injuries, including concussions, diverticulitis and even colon surgery, Backes continued to work on ways to make himself of value to his club — dropping weight in the offseason and even working with a skating coach ahead of the 2019-20 season.
Even though his decline was telegraphed in the early going of this deal, Backes’ tenure in Boston was far from a complete abject disaster — especially in those first years in which Boston needed another steadying presence in the B’s room.
24. Joakim Nordstrom, Winger
Signed 2-year, $2 million contract on July 1, 2018
118 GP - 11 goals, 8 assists - 12:55 ATOI
For his price, Nordstrom has been a valuable piece for Bruce Cassidy when it comes to roster construction, with the human Swiss (err - Swedish) Army Knife serving as a fourth-line grinder, PK ace and even second-line winger when needed. Had a strong playoff run last season when called into action, recording eight points in 23 games while blocking 21 shots. Averaged 14:49 of ice time against St. Louis in the Cup Final.
https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1133914993223753728
23. Niklas Svedberg, Goaltender
Signed 2-year, $2 million contract on May 29, 2012
19 GP - 15-8-5, .920 save percentage, 2.31 GAA, 2 shutouts
Signed out of the Swedish Elite League in May 2012, Svedberg spent his first season with the Bruins primarily down in Providence, but stepped in as Rask’s backup during the 2014-15 campaign — serving admirably with a 7-5-1 record and a .918 save percentage. He signed with the KHL the following season and has not appeared in an NHL game since departing Boston.
22. Brian Leetch, Defenseman
Signed 1-year, $4 million contract in 2005
61 GP - 5 goals, 27 assists - 23:31 ATOI
The Hockey Hall of Famer closed out his career with one season in Boston — a homecoming of sorts for a player that grew up in Cheshire, Connecticut and attended BC for one season. Even if the 37-year-old Leetch was one of Boston’s top blue-liners, a Bruins club with plenty of promise fell flat on its face — finishing 13th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 29-37-16. Leetch retired after his lone season in Boston.