It sounds like the Bruins have a plan with camp tryout Tyler Johnson
Despite a strong showing in training camp, Tyler Johnson did not accompany the Bruins down to Florida with them for Tuesday’s season-opening loss to the Panthers.
But confirmed by Thursday’s morning skate at Warrior Ice Arena, the veteran Johnson, who spent training camp with the club on a professional tryout agreement, is still with the Bruins. And still a potential factor in their plans for the 2024-25 season, according to B’s coach Jim Montgomery.
“Johnson is being patient and sticking around for now,” Montgomery confirmed.
Skating on what was essentially the B’s fifth line at practice with Max Jones (scratched ahead of Thursday’s win over the Canadiens) and the injured Matt Poitras, Johnson is by all means allowed to skate with the Bruins as long as he wants. The Bruins have not formally ended his pro tryout agreement with the club, and of right now it doesn’t sound like they have any immediate plans to do so.
And if this all sounds familiar, it’s because it’s exactly what the Bruins did with Danton Heinen a year ago.
What’s most notable about this strategy, and the part that the Bruins already have locked down it appears, is having a player who is willing to be patient and wait around without a contract to his name. Now, exactly what Johnson is waiting for is something that’s currently unknown.
Given the way that contending teams manage the cap, and how tight up against the cap ceiling the Bruins are following the signing of Jeremy Swayman to a $66 million contract that comes with an $8.25 million cap hit, the Bruins may be waiting to bank away enough cap space to ink Johnson to a deal.
They could also be waiting to see how some of their bottom-of-the-roster players fit into the mix. Cole Koepke is already off to a great start, with a three-point outing against the Canadiens on Thursday night, while both Jones and Riley Tufte are still looking to establish their games in Boston.
The health of Poitras could also be a factor in all of this, too, as the Bruins clearly like what they have in the second-year pro but are waiting for him to be closer to full health after an injury ended his preseason and after a shoulder surgery put him on the shelf for the second half of the 2023-24 campaign.
By now, though, it’s clear that the Bruins want to keep Johnson around after a preseason effort that included a goal and an assist in four games played. Montgomery has essentially admitted as much, with the third-year B’s coach raving about Johnson’s versatility as someone who can play all three forward positions, and with Montgomery saying that Johnson proved everything he could as the biggest reason why he did not suit up for the Black and Gold’s final game of the exhibition slate last week in Washington.
A veteran of 738 NHL games over 12 seasons, and a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021, the 5-foot-8 Johnson is coming off a 2023-24 season that featured 17 goals and 31 points in 67 games for the Blackhawks.