The Bruins announced they signed Boqvist to a one-year NHL contract with a cap hit of $775,000.
By the end of the 2022-23 season, New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald knew his team was on the fast track to becoming a Stanley Cup contender. His young core got a taste of postseason hockey and now understands how difficult it is to win a round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In this summer series, I will chronologically break down every move the organization made this offseason and discuss how it positively or negatively impacts the team for the 2023-24 season.
On May 13, Jesper Boqvist stood at his locker room stall and spoke about struggling to find consistency in his fourth season with the Devils.
"First half, I feel like I was way too much up and down and not consistent enough," he said. "After Christmas, I felt pretty good, actually, took some steps. In the Rangers series, I felt alright, and then Carolina, I'd rather forget that game I had. Overall, a pretty good season."
The 24-year-old played a career-high 70 games last season, scoring ten goals and tallying 21 points. Boqvist was an effective forechecker who was utilized on the penalty kill, mostly with Dawson Mercer. His versatility in playing both wing and center was a luxury head coach Lindy Ruff could take advantage of when necessary.
As a restricted free agent, he was not tenured a qualifying offer on June 30. At that point, it was expected that he would move on from New Jersey, and on July 12, the Boston Bruins announced they signed Boqvist to a one-year NHL contract with a cap hit of $775,000.
Boqvist spent most of last season as a depth player fluctuating between the third and fourth line. His time on ice ranged from a season-high of 16:20 to a shocking 3:31. It seemed that, at times, he did not have the complete trust of his head coach and spent time as a healthy scratch or found his line benched mid-game with the coaching staff opting to shorten their bench to three forward lines.
The Devils losing Boqvist in free agency can ultimately lead to a positive impact. The most interesting part of his departure is that in the eyes of some, his spot is now Alexander Holtz's to lose. It is now or never for the 21-year-old as he enters another training camp hoping to become an impactful NHL regular. Holtz will be competition for that final spot on the third line, but the odds could be in his favor with one less NHL regular to contend with.
Boqvist is now reunited with former Devils teammates Pavel Zacha, A.J. Greer, and Reilly Walsh in Boston. He will face his former team for the first time on Dec. 13 at Prudential Center.