Boston Bruins fans felt good last season when Alex Steeves made the roster, as everyone laughed about getting another difference-maker from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Don Sweeney fueled the hype when he signed Steeves to a two-year contract extension, trying to get ahead of a potential breakout season when he started with eight goals and six assists in his first three months.
After signing the extension, Steeves recorded just one goal and one assist in 10 regular season games, then was a complete non-factor in two playoff games against the Buffalo Sabres. The most discouraging part is that the extension came in late January, meaning he was a healthy scratch for 22 of the final 32 games of the season, including a nine-game stretch when the Bruins were fighting for their playoff lives.
He had a chance to regain his place in the lineup in training camp, but Steeves did nothing to claim it. In the end, both Dans Locmelis and Riley Duran lasted longer in Boston. Steeves was sent to Providence on Saturday along with Lukas Reichel, while those two prospects lasted until Sunday, when the team made the final forward cuts.
That doesn't mean Steeves won't be the first forward up if injuries occur, but there is less than a 0% chance this is the last time we'll see him with the Bruins. One more forward will have to return to Providence once Matthew Poitras returns from injury, barring any trades, and Steeves is already behind some others if the timing of cuts is any indication.
Alex Steeves' money commitment is minimal
The only good thing about the contract extension is that the average annual value is minuscule compared to how the salary cap has gone. The bad news is that the Bruins' salary cap is on the hook for $400,000 while he is in the AHL, but there should still be plenty of room to make any moves they need.
The lasting effect of the Steeves contract is just the lack of trust in Sweeney. The front office has an unfortunate love for bottom-six forwards, and keeping Steeves just never truly made sense in the grand scheme of things. He might help the AHL team be good again this season, as he did before he joined Boston last season, but that's hardly worth signing him when they did.
The front office tried to outsmart everyone by signing Steeves early, and it turned out to be one of their bigger miscalculations of the past few seasons.
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