What Would Signing Tyler Johnson Mean?

Tyler Johnson is still with the Boston Bruins on his professional tryout contract. The 34-year-old forward, who can play multiple positions, practiced in Brighton on Tuesday. However, like Danton Heinen last year, the Bruins do not have enough salary cap space to sign him Standard Player’s Contract (SPC) as of now.

Currently, the Bruins can add an average annual value (AAV) of nearly $424,000, which is still below the league minimum contract of $775,000. By the end of their current road trip, they will have banked $440,000, but this amount still falls short of the league minimum.

Many people wonder why a team would sign a player that no one else seems to want. The truth is, we can’t be sure if that’s the case. Johnson may have had other offers, but like Heinen, he might just be waiting for the Bruins to free up some salary space.

But how do they do that?

The Bruins have a full roster of 23 players, which includes 14 forwards, 7 defensemen, and 2 goalies. If they want to sign Johnson, they will need to assign someone else to the Providence Bruins.

The team has three players who are waiver exempt: Mason Lohrei, John Beecher and Matthew Poitras. They will not drop to six defencemen so Lohrei seems safe. Beecher has solidified a role on what is one of the best 4^th lines early into the season. And Poitras has shown that last season was not a fluke and deserves a spot on the roster.

Let’s look at some potential options:

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Any of these choices would mean putting someone on waivers and sending them to Providence. The three most likely candidates are Riley Tufte, Max Jones, or Justin Brazeau. While Brazeau is the only one with a two-way contract, the Bruins should not let that influence their decision.

I understand the Bruins would want to give Jones, who has battled injuries in camp and early in the season a fair look, but it might be in the best interest of the team and Jones to send him to Providence on a conditioning stint. But that won’t give them any cap relief.

So, it appears the likeliest choice would be Tufte at this point. If Johnson were to sign a league minimum deal, the cap hit would be a wash. But the logistics of sending someone to Providence and brining someone else in can be complicated.

There is another chapter waiting to be written.