Boston Bruins

Report: Bruins Starting Negotiations With UFA Danton Heinen This Week

Published

8 months ago

June 4, 2024

The NHL offseason hasn’t even officially begun, but that isn’t stopping Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney from taking care of business.

According to a report by David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the Bruins are expected to begin contract negotiations with pending unrestricted free agent forward Danton Heinen at some point this week.

The #NHLBruins are expected to speak with Danton Heinen's camp this week and start discussions on a potential new contract. Heinen is 1 of Boston's 9 pending UFAs.

— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) June 4, 2024

After the Bruins traded him away in 2019, Heinen returned to Boston this past season on a try-out basis, having found little interest from other teams prior. Eventually, he earned himself a one-year contract and was serviceable for the Bruins, scoring 36 points in 74 games.

Now that Heinen is back on the open market again this offseason, the 28-year-old appears to be open to returning to Boston once again.

“There are different moving parts on the business side of everything,” Heinen told reporters at the Bruins end of season media availability on May 19. “I was just grateful to be here and be a part of this group. It’s not all about money. It’s about fit and if you’re happy and where you want to be. Those are the kinds of things I look at.”

According to AFP Analytics, Heinen is projected to sign a three-year contract this summer worth an average annual value of $2.915 million.

It’s unclear if the Bruins have begun discussions with any of their other eight players who are free agents this summer, or which ones they intend to, for that matter. However, the fact that the Bruins are approaching Heinen and his representatives this early on indicates the importance they place on retaining him.

Although Heinen’s scoring output wasn’t all that spectacular, he proved his worth through versatility. Typically a third-line player, he was able to fill in seamlessly up and down the lineup, playing multiple roles on a game-to-game basis while logging difficult minutes on a Boston penalty kill that was sixth-best in the league.

Certainly, there are other players available this offseason with similar skill sets to Heinen’s, especially at that price. However, it seems the Bruins are choosing to first negotiate with Heinen after he earned his keep last season.