Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm will receive the lion’s share of the media and fan attention as the major July 1 free agency signings hauled in by the Boston Bruins, and that’s rightfully so given the significant impact roles they will fill.
But Zadorov and Lindholm don’t amount to the total sum of Boston’s work done in free agency as there are other incoming players coming into the Black and Gold fold next season. Riley Tufte was a big 6-foot-7 former first-round pick coming from the Minnesota Wild organization who will mostly likely spend this coming season in Providence, and Billy Sweezey is a Massachusetts-born defenseman who’s logged previous NHL time with the Columbus Blue Jackets after going undrafted out of Yale University.
Max Jones is another former first-round pick getting a new start in Boston as well after not receiving a qualifying offer from the Anaheim Ducks, and figures to get the most NHL time out of any of the other free agency acquisitions beyond the household names that have sponged up most of the hype.
The 26-year-old Jones signed a two-year, $2-million deal with the Bruins after averaging seven goals and 17 points over the last two seasons while playing a power forward game at 6-foot-3, 216-pounds. He isn’t quite the Tom Wilson/Milan Lucic that some draftniks projected him to be when he was picked 24th overall in the 2016 NHL Draft, but there is upside to his game with his size, speed and a bit of a mean streak on the wing.
Jones is a guy who wants to play that way and does so on enough occasions to make opponents look over their shoulder, whether he’s barreling in on the forecheck or crashing the net like a raging bull.
That really is half the battle with big, heavy forwards that can be really impactful if they play up to their size.
“I kind of like to play the game with my hair on fire a little bit. Just kind of go, go, go,” said Jones, who has 110 penalty minutes over the last two seasons. “I think the more I get invested in a game and the more my heart rate gets up, the more effective I can be. I think that just makes it easier for me to cement my playing style into a game each and every night, possessing pucks, forecheck, getting pucks back in the corner of the net, creating a little bit of a havoc around the net and on the other team.
“I think playing up and down the lineup is something that I can do… to play kind of each and every role. I think that's kind of what I did in Anaheim over the years. So, I kind of learn how to play in every single situation and role and kind of just learn my way… the niche in each setting.
“But I try to stick to my core values of being a big, strong, fast, heavy player.”
For the Bruins, there will be opportunities for Jones to play up in the lineup and see how he does – perhaps even getting some top-6 looks with Charlie Coyle and Brad Marchand – and for him to become a fearless, flying forechecker as the B’s perhaps take a page out of Florida’s playbook by stocking up on physical, punishing forwards that can wear down opponents.
Likely he will be a fourth-line staple with Mark Kastelic and Johnny Beecher, but the Bruins don’t want to pigeonhole him there quite yet.
“Max [Jones] has been an intriguing player, not just because of where he was drafted, but the size of the player, the ability to forecheck, the ability to possess pucks. He's shown a willingness to get to the net, can he finish a little bit more if he's pushed up the lineup and play with guys, that's what we're going to find out in terms of Max,” said Don Sweeney. “But he just plays both sides, the possession game that Monty [Jim Montgomery] wants to have, created a little more anxiety, to tell you the truth, with arriving on time on the forecheck is a big part of the identification of several of these players.”
Jones is clearly hoping for a fresh start after things had run their course for him in Anaheim after not being tendered a contract. Boston was an attractive free-agent option for him because his playing style meshes nicely with the traditional culture of the Big Bad Bruins, who have been looking for bigger, heavier players that can help them in the postseason.
“I mean, there was a lot that attracted me to the Bruins, beginning with the culture and, obviously, how they play as a team,” said Jones. “I think, obviously, a fresh start was kind of what I was looking for, and then when I heard that the Bruins were interested, and I obviously was interested, it kind of made the decision very easy for me.
“I spent my whole career in Anaheim, so I obviously didn't really know what it was like elsewhere. [Former Duck Kevin] Shattenkirk had come and talked to us about it…a lot of guys have spoken to me personally about Boston and what it's like there and the organization and how it's ran, and I've heard nothing but amazing things. So, it was kind of always in the back of the head there when you're thinking about somewhere that you'd like to play. And then obviously visiting Boston, every time we came and played, I just loved the city, loved the rink, the fans, the way they interacted… everything about it was awesome.”
It seems like Jones should be a good fit in Boston and fans will appreciate him if he plays up to his size and strength with no aversion to the rough stuff. But the real question is whether there’s anything more to Jones’ game as a former first-round pick entering his late 20s that never really blossomed in Anaheim.
Boston has had good luck finding players that can flourish in their system as Morgan Geekie did last season, and as has role players with upside like Joakim Nordstrom and Riley Nash have done with the Bruins in the past. The question is whether Jones can be that kind of player for the Black and Gold, but he’s worth the small money gamble given the talent and what he could be if Boston can bring the absolute best out of him in a way that Anaheim hasn’t for Ducks players over the years.