With the shock of a first-round exit almost a week behind them, the Bruins’ front office has started to lick their wounds and shift their focus on the future, with Friday headlined by their first signing of the 2023 offseason.

It involved a player that the Bruins hope is a gigantic piece of their future, as Bruins general manager Don Sweeney confirmed the signing of prospect Matthew Poitras to a three-year, entry-level contract.

The deal will come with an $870,000 cap hit at the NHL level.

• Boston’s top pick from the 2022 NHL Draft, selected in the second round and at No. 54 overall, the 19-year-old Poitras had a breakout season in the OHL in 2022-23, with 16 goals and 95 points in 63 game for the Guelph Storm.

  It was a staggering 45-point explosion from his 2021-22 season (and he did it in five fewer games for the Storm), and his 79 assists were the second-most in the OHL, while his 95 points were tied for fifth-most in the league.

  The 5-foot-11 Poitras also chipped in with two goals and six points in six OHL playoff games this season.

• My goodness what a rip by Matthew Poitras pic.twitter.com/zctwxogB8U

  — Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) April 9, 2023

• One of the things the Bruins liked about Poitras when they drafted him was his motor, as well as his ability to get into what the Bruins called “dirty ice.” To that point, Poitras himself liked to compare his game to that of notable Tampa Bay centers Anthony Cirelli and Brayden Point, acknowledging an element of ‘grit’ as part of his game.

  And though the Bruins expected the offensive part of his game to come along (his 50 points in 2021-22 ranked seventh among OHL rookies), the 95-point outburst had to make their eyes pop with excitement.

• 

  MONTREAL, QUEBEC – JULY 08: Matthew Poitras, #54 pick by the Boston Bruins, poses for a portrait during the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bell Centre on July 08, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

• Given his age, and despite finishing the year on an amateur tryout with Providence, Poitras will not eligible for the AHL in 2023-24, meaning that it will be Boston or back to the OHL for him next season. Barring an absolute monster offseason and training camp, the latter seems likely, as the Bruins have not sped up Poitras’ development with any AHL appearances since his jump to Providence on that aforementioned amateur tryout agreement.

  But given how center-needy the Bruins may be depending on what happens with Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci this offseason, there’s always the ‘never say never’ aspect of it all.

• 

  Jul 8, 2022; Montreal, Quebec, CANADA; Matthew Poitras gives an interview after being selected by the Boston Bruins in the second round of the 2022 NHL Draft at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

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