Can’t ask for much more from a PTO guy.
Danton Heinen’s 2024 rating: 7.7
Bruins GM Don Sweeney made plenty of bargain basement signings in the summer of 2023, attempting to balance a need for depth with salary cap constraints.
It’s funny: the guy from that group who generated the most online angst ended up being the best signing of the bunch, as Danton Heinen exceeded all expectations in his second go-round with the B’s.
When it was announced that Heinen was coming to training camp on a PTO, the reaction from fans was mixed (as it always has been with Heinen).
To some, Heinen wasn’t worth bringing back, even on a league minimum deal. He was a floater, not physical enough, whatever your complaint may have been.
To others, he was the kind of smart, underrated player who could fill a valuable role for the B’s.
The latter group ended up being right, as Heinen effectively filled spots all over the lineup and had the second-best offensive season of his career.
Heinen’s 36-point total was bested only by his second NHL season, when he recorded 47 points with the 2018 Bruins.
His 17 goals were also the second-most of his NHL career (18 with Pittsburgh in 2022).
Importantly for the Bruins, all but two of Heinen’s 36 points came at even strength, providing valuable secondary scoring.
Heinen also recorded four game-winning goals for the B’s and averaged more than a minute per game of time on the penalty kill.
He also recorded the only hat trick of his NHL career — against Montreal, no less.
He chipped in on offense, killed penalties, made smart plays with and without the puck…all for $775,000.
If you wanted to find something to pick at in Heinen’s season, his production dried up in the playoffs, with just one point in eight games.
To be fair, it’s worth pointing out that he was dealing with an injury for the latter portion of the playoffs, one that caused him to miss the end of the first round and the majority of the second round.
Overall, Heinen was a home-run signing for Sweeney, the kind of low-risk, high-reward move GMs dream of when signing a guy to a PTO.
Heinen is a versatile, useful player, one the Bruins could certainly use this coming season.
However, he played his way into a deserved payday that the Bruins didn’t want to match, inking a two-year deal with Vancouver worth $2.25 million per season.
Given what was expected of Heinen, a 7.7 rating seems low to me — this was an easy 10.
Who knows — maybe he’ll be back for Round 3 with the B’s down the line.