Facing a ton of decisions this offseason with free agents and adding to the roster to make a run for the Stanley Cup in 2022, the Boston Bruins have a busy summer ahead of them.
Thursday, Boston made a minor move when they signed forward Anton Blidh to a one-year, two-way contract for next season that carries a cap hit of $750,000.
Blidh was selected in the sixth round of the 2013 Entry Draft and the 26-year-old has played some spot duty in Boston, while spending most of his time in American Hockey League with the Providence Bruins.
He has played in 36 career National Hockey League games with three points in that span. He scored a goal this season against the Washington Capitals on one of the luckiest bounces off the backboards of the 56-game 2021 season.
Anton Blidh extends the Bruins lead with his first NHL goal since the 2016-2017 season. #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/Ek77QMiBGA
— Jamie Gatlin (@JamieGatlin17) April 8, 2021
Of course, this is not a signing to get very excited about. Blidh will be part of the Bruins training camp at Warrior Ice Arena in September, but he will most likely end up in the AHL with the P-Bruins. In six seasons with Providence, Blidh has 46 goals and 42 assists.
As far as the Boston roster goes, Blidh is nothing more than fourth-line insurance for coach Bruce Cassidy and Co.
Going into the offseason, it is expected that general manager Don Sweeney will look to make some subtractions and additions to the bottom-six forwards. Sean Kuraly is a free agent, while some other pieces could be moved in trades.
With Boston looking to give the bottom-six forwards a different look heading into the 2021-22 season, re-signing Blidh is not going to be seen as a big move. Yes, he might find himself in Boston at some point next season as the NHL goes back to an 82-game schedule, he will be a fourth-line replacement for the Bruins in a pinch.