The Boston Bruins have extended the contract of 23-year-old Anders Bjork. The contract has the winger on the team through the 2022-23 season.
#NHLBruins have agreed to terms with Anders Bjork on a three-year contract extension
Details: https://t.co/CH87j49tDK pic.twitter.com/zbj4dywldK
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) July 29, 2020
Bruins Sign Anders Bjork to an Extension
On July 29, the team announced it had extended the contract of Bjork by three seasons. The contract, worth $4.8 million. It carries a cap-hit of $1.6 million. Bjork, 23, played in 58 games for the team this year. In that time, he scored nine goals and 10 assists for 19 points, which is a career high. The former fifth round pick saw bottom-six minutes this year, but has shown potential to be a reliable top-nine piece. Bjork was one of the players listed to be traveling to the Eastern Conference hub city in Toronto. With teammate Ondrej Kase out of the lineup for the near future, he is the likely candidate to replace him in the team’s top six.
What This Means For The Future
With the addition of Bjork’s contract the team has $16 million to sign any more free agents, one being defenceman Torey Krug. Krug is entering free agency this off-season with a current cap-hit of $5.25 million. Boston is notorious for signing players to team-friendly deals, however Krug might ask for more. The Bruins may only be willing to offer him a certain amount, as they have both of their goaltenders entering contract seasons. Aside from Krug the Bruins also have captain, Zdeno Chara, and forward, Joakim Nordstrom, to try to resign too. Chara, 43, will likely be on a similar contract if he re-signs, and Nordstrom is a replaceable bottom-six, depth forward.
For Bjork, this is a sign for the future. He had career bests in all categories this season. If he continues to trend up in his offensive numbers, he could be their top-six winger of the future that plays with David Pastrnak. The Bruins have an older top-half of their lineup, so adding a younger forward is key to their longevity.
