Boston Bruins 2023-24 Player Grades: Danton Heinen was biggest surprise this year

Right before training camp started last fall, the Boston Bruins agreed to a PTO with veteran forward Danton Heinen. His first stop with the Bruins ended at the trade deadline in February of 2020 when he was sent to the Anaheim Ducks as part of a trade that acquired Nick Ritchie.

Since being traded to the Ducks, he spent a year and a half in Anaheim before spending two seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He had 15 goals and 18 assists in his first season in Pittsburgh, and then he had eight goals and 14 assists the following year before they let him go in free agency. After not signing with anyone, Don Sweeney brought him back to Boston on a PTO. He stayed with the organization once the regular season began and signed a one-year deal at the end of October and he turned into a key piece for the Black and Gold.

Danton Heinen’s 2023-24 regular season

Once he signed, not many people saw the season he was going to have coming. He became a good 5-on-5 player for second-year head coach Jim Montgomery and even worked his way into the penalty-killing unit. He had 17 goals and 19 assists in 74 games playing up and down the lineup before being a staple in the middle-six as the season went along.

He had a knack for scoring timely goals throughout the season and even recorded a hat trick in January in a win over the Montreal Canadiens at home. One of his goals was a shorthanded tally against the Vancouver Canucks in February in a 4-0 Boston win at home.

Overall, when he signed his PTO and his one-year contract, who penciled him in for 17 goals and 36 points for the Black and Gold? Not many.

Danton Heinen’s 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs

After such a promising regular season, the postseason was a struggle for Heinen as he battled injuries against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers, playing in only eight of the 13 games combined between the two series. He finished with just one assist in the first round against the Maple Leafs.

Danton Heinen’s future

Tuesday, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that Sweeney was going to reach out to Heinen’s camp about a contract as he becomes an unrestricted free agent (UFA) on July 1. In reality, bringing Heinen back is a no-brainer, but it really shouldn’t be for anything more than $2 million.

Grade: A-