Another young defenseman has entered the fray for the Boston Bruins. On Wednesday, the Bruins announced that left shot defenseman Frederic Brunet and the team have agreed to a three-year entry-level contract.
The contract has an AAV of $860,000 and an $85,000 signing bonus in all three years. Brunet will have RFA eligibility when the ELC expires at the end of the 2025-2026 season. He’ll earn $82,500 annually in the AHL and $860,000 at the NHL level.
Brunet was chosen by the Bruins in the fifth round of the 2022 NHL Draft. In his age 19 season last year, he had 16 goals and 57 assists with the Victoriaville Tigers and Rimouski Oceanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). He appeared in one game with the Providence Bruins last season, recording two assists.
Ahead of the October 2 preseason game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Brunet was assigned to Providence as part of a series of roster cuts that involved releasing Alex Chiasson from his PTO and putting Michael DiPietro on waivers.
Brunet played in two preseason games for the Bruins prior to being assigned to Providence. In those two games, he logged 29:59 of ice time and scored a goal. He was someone worthy of keeping a close eye on, and the Bruins agreed, coming to terms with the 20-year-old on an ELC.
This season, Brunet is likely out of the plans at the NHL level for the Bruins, likely to spend the whole year developing in Providence under the tutelage of head coach Ryan Mougenel and his coaching staff.
His skills on offense will certainly be worth watching, and the Bruins hope to see him grow his defensive game in a full season of AHL play. If all goes right for Brunet, he could be a candidate for a callup as early as the end of the year, although 2024-2025 or 2025-2026 would certainly be a more realistic timeline.