Bruins Sign Four Players on Day 1 of NHL Free Agency

The Boston Bruins have reportedly signed forwards Chris Wagner and Joakim Nordstrom, defenseman John Moore, and goaltender Jaroslav Halak on the first day of NHL free agency. Here’s a breakdown of the signings by position:

Forward:

Wagner and Nordstrom are both bottom-6 forwards and will likely fill the roles that were vacated by Riley Nash and Tim Schaller.

Wagner, who spent last season with the Anaheim Ducks and New York Islanders, has reportedly signed a two-year deal worth $1.25 million per season. The 27-year-old Massachusetts native has 17 goals and 12 assists in 174 NHL appearances. He’s a solid penalty killing forward who loves to hit. He was third in the NHL in hits last season with 253.

Nordstrom joins the Bruins by way of the Carolina Hurricanes. The Swedish forward reportedly signed a deal that’ll pay him $1 million per season over the next two seasons. Nordstrom has appeared in 282 NHL games and has 20 goals and 29 assists to show for it.

Defense:

Moore is a former 1st round pick who’s spent time with the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, Arizona Coyotes, and New Jersey Devils. The left shot defenseman inked a five-year deal that reportedly will pay him $2.75 million per season. Moore should provide some much needed defensive help to Zdeno Chara on the left side of the ice. In 447 regular season appearances he has 32 goals and 67 assists.

The signing of Moore most likely means that the Bruins will move one or two current contracts in order to acquire a top-6 forward. Torey Krug and Adam McQuaid are both likely to be traded in my opinion.

Goaltending:

Halak will fill the void that was left by Anton Khudobin who signed a two-year deal in Dallas.

The Slovakian net minder has been a fringe starter throughout his career with four NHL clubs including the Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Washington Capitals, and New York Islanders. The 33-year-old goalie is coming off his worst NHL season, where he posted a 3.19 GAA and a .908 save % in 54 appearances. However, he boasts a career 2.50 GAA and a .916 save %, which are solid stats for a guy who’ll be playing the backup role over the next two seasons.

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The Bruins also missed out on mega free agent, John Tavares, who signed with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. The deal was worth $77 million over seven seasons. The Bruins were one of six teams in the running for Tavares.

@kevin_maggiore