Bruins and Ian Mitchell agree to one-year deal, avoid arbitration

The Bruins announced Monday they signed restricted free agent defenseman Ian Mitchell to a one-year NHL contract with a $775,000 average annual value (AAV).

The deal allows Boston to avoid arbitration with one of its three RFAs that filed. The 24-year-old’s hearing would have been July 26.

Mitchell, acquired along with RFA defenseman Alec Regula from Chicago in the Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno deal, has 16 points (4g, 12a) in 82 career NHL games.

The 5-foot-11, 173-pound right-hander had a goal and seven assists in 35 games for the Blackhawks in 2022-23. Mitchell is a University of Denver product, playing under Jim Montgomery as a freshman. 

BSJ Analysis… 

• That’s one down and two to go for the Bruins’ RFAs that opted for arbitration. Not at all surprising to see a deal struck before the hearing date. Teams and players always want to avoid it getting to that point if possible.
• Great to see the deal come in under the $874,125 qualifying offer that Mitchell was due. Every penny counts these days. 
• Now we wait and see on Jeremy Swayman and Trent Frederic. I'd be surprised if those two don't get done before their arbitration dates. Swayman is set for July 30. Frederic is Aug. 1. The B's are left with $6.2 million to fit in Swayman, Frederic and possibly Bergeron or Krejci, per CapFriendly. 
• Aside from the other two that filed for arbitration, Boston still has to take care of Regula, Marc McLaughlin, Michael DiPietro and Reilly Walsh. None of those deals should impact the cap significantly. 
• It was interesting to see Mitchell file for arbitration in the first place. No idea what kind of case he could have had. Has never been more than a depth defenseman at the NHL level. Former second-round pick (57th overall in 2017) has only one full season in the AHL, which saw him put up 35 points in 57 games from the blue line (11g, 24a). 
• I thought Mitchell would have been in line to compete for that third spot on the right side before Boston signed Shattenkirk, which I think is a better, safer bet, anyway. Mitchell is pretty slight for a defenseman, even with his previous offensive prowess in the NCAA and AHL. Probably a reason he hasn't stuck more. 
• Chicago was also a minus-8 with Mitchell on at 5-on-5 in the regular season. The Hawks were also severely outshot and out-chanced, although it was hard for anyone to have strong underlying numbers on that Blackhawks team. 
• Either way, we should be seeing Mitchell in Boston at some point anyway, whether he makes the team as a depth defenseman, pushes Shattenkirk out of that spot or is called up. 
• Maybe there’s more to unlock there, especially if Montgomery can unlock a little bit of what Mitchell was as a frosh in Denver in 2017-18,  when he led all blue-liners in scoring (30 points in 41 games).
• Mitchell may never turn into what many thought he would be when he came out of Denver, but it was still good on Boston to get two defensemen who could at least give them NHL minutes between him and Regula in the Hall/Foligno deal. Better than "future considerations" (i.e. nothing).