Bruins sign Oskar Steen to two-year extension
A 4-2 loss to the Capitals on Sunday didn’t prevent the Bruins from some in-house work, as the team hammered out a two-year, one-way extension with forward Oskar Steen, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney announced.
Steen’s new deal, which kicks in next season, will come with an $800,000 cap hit, according to the team.
The 23-year-old Steen, who last appeared in an NHL game for the Bruins back on Feb. 8, has totaled two goals and six points, along with 22 shots and 29 hits, in 19 NHL games this season. The Bruins really enjoyed the third-line jolt of life that the 5-foot-9 Steen gave their team early in 2022, but Steen ultimately fell out of frame when the team landed on their current top-nine mix on the right side, which came with a promotion for Jake DeBrusk and readjustments for David Pastrnak and Craig Smith.
When not in Boston this year, Steen has remained productive for Providence, with 15 goals and 31 points in 41 AHL games. A sixth-round pick in 2016, Steen has recorded 27 goals and 65 points in 124 total games with the P-Bruins since 2019.
There should be no shortage of opportunities to Steen to stick with the club in 2022-23, really, with Curtis Lazar a pending unrestricted free agent and in the midst of a career year that could price him out of Boston, and DeBrusk still looking for an offseason trade for a fresh start elsewhere.
As it relates to DeBrusk and that potential opening on the top line, it’s worth mentioning that the Bruins didn’t view Steen as ready to ride with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand this season. Perhaps that changes by the fall should the Bruins give him a training camp run with the duo, or maybe Steen instead rides on the right side of the team’s second of third line with either Pastrnak or Smith elevated to that top-line spot.
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Ty Anderson is a writer and columnist for 985TheSportsHub.com. He has been covering the Bruins since 2010, and has been a member of the Boston chapter of the PHWA since 2013. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Yell at him on Twitter: @_TyAnderson.
