Obscure former Boston Bruins: Matt Beleskey

With a week in between editions, the latest piece on an obscure former Boston Bruins is back. The latest edition is about forward Matt Beleskey, who had a fast rise and an equally fast fall.

Beleskey was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the fourth round of the 2006 NHL Draft, debuting with a short two game sample in 2008-2009. The 2009-2010 season was Beleskey’s first full season, putting up 11 goals and seven assists in 60 games of action.

After his entry level contract expired, Beleskey would sign two more contracts with the Ducks, each for two years. All in all, he spent seven years in a Ducks uniform, putting up 57 goals and 55 assists while averaging 12:39 of ice time in 329 games. He had 13 goals and four assists in 34 playoff games with the Ducks.

His last season with the Ducks was a fantastic one. Beleskey put up a career high 22 goals while chipping in 10 assists in a contract year. That led him to the Bruins in free agency, signing a five year, $19 million contract with trade protection for four of the five years.

Beleskey’s first season with the Bruins was a good one, putting up 15 goals and 22 assists over 15:51 of average ice time, posting a +6 plus-minus rating in 80 games in 2015-2016, with the Bruins missing the playoffs that year.

The 2016-2017 season was not so kind to Beleskey. He had just three goals and five assists in 49 games, racking up 47 penalty minutes and a -10 plus-minus rating. He also went without a point in three playoff games that year, when the Bruins lost in the first round to the Ottawa Senators.

Beleskey had a year to forget in 2017-2018, going pointless in 14 games with the Bruins before getting put on waivers. He was traded to the New York Rangers alongside Ryan Spooner, Ryan Lindgren, and two draft picks in the Rick Nash trade at the trade deadline, appearing in one game for the Rangers.

In 2018-2019, Beleskey had one goal in four games for the Rangers, spending the large majority of the season with AHL Hartford. In 2019-2020, the last year of his contract with the Bruins, Beleskey was out of the NHL entirely, putting up 16 goals and 10 assists in 56 games with Hartford.

Currently, Beleskey is now retired, doing whatever he is doing in regular life now. He had one really good season with the Ducks and parlayed that into a big deal with the Bruins. After year one of that deal, it was straight downhill, and his career ended after the contract expired.