The Boston Bruins have signed college forward Matt Filipe to an entry-level contract. The deal is for two years and will take Filipe through the 2021-22 season. Boston is still in the NHL’s postseason bubble but it is wasting no time preparing for offseason signings. The news was announced late Sunday night.
#NHLBruins sign Matt Filipe to two-year entry level contract: https://t.co/0DoV21prr4
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) August 17, 2020
Bruins Sign Matt Filipe
Filipe spent 2019-20 with Northeastern University where he scored a career-high nine goals and 22 points in 30 games. He has been with Northeastern for the past four seasons and ended his career with 31 goals and 75 points in 136 games. Filipe also posted 109 penalty minutes in four seasons.
The Carolina Hurricanes originally selected Filipe in the third round of the 2016 Draft. The Bruins were able to sign Filipe because the Hurricanes failed to sign their former draft pick before the deadline. Carolina held Filipe’s signing rights until 5 PM EST on Saturday the 15th. Filipe doesn’t have the offensive upside that Carolina prefers but he might be perfect for Boston’s system. He has the size at 6’2″, 203-pounds and Boston has been fairly successful in developing physical players such as Filipe.
What This Means for the Future
It is unlikely Filipe makes the Bruins’ NHL roster at the end of his deal but they clearly see something that interests their development system. We will need to see where he plays in 2020-21 before we can make any strong conclusions.
The team still has a number of players that need new contracts this offseason. They still have high-profile pending free agents like Torey Krug and Jake DeBrusk as well as younger depth like Zach Senyshyn and Daniel Vladar. Boston has roughly $63 million committed for 2020-21 before any NHL players or prospects are signed. Some players like Krug are certainly a priority but Boston will need to be somewhat cautious with the salary cap staying flat at $81.5 million for next season.
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