NHL rumors: Tyler Johnson still hoping for contract with Bruins

“[Johnson] still remains in Boston. He's skating there, trying to stay in shape, remaining patient in hopes of getting a contract,” Johnston reported. “It's a bit of an unusual circumstance for the veteran forward.”

The hockey insider continued: “The Bruins like him, they really did like his camp, but they don't have cap space at this point in time. So it would have to be someone else put on waivers, a trade to create space or maybe an injury opens an opportunity. But Tyler Johnson is willing to wait it out, hoping to eventually get a deal with Boston.”

The Bruins currently only have $400,000 in cap space to work with, meaning there's no space for Johnson currently. But the 34-year-old is hoping that will change at some point over the next couple of weeks.

A 12-year veteran of the National Hockey League, Johnson spent the last three seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks. He chipped in 31 points in 67 games for the lowly Hawks in 2023-24, proving he's still capable of producing at the NHL level.

Tyler Johnson still has some game

Originally signed by the Tampa Bay Lightning as an undrafted player in 2011, Johnson spent his first nine seasons in the city — and carved out a nice career for himself. The Spokane, Washington native won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships with the Bolts, and he was an important piece of both title runs.

In 2019-20, he scored 31 points in 65 regular-season games before adding another four goals and seven points in the postseason; the Lightning beat the Dallas Stars in six games in the Stanley Cup Final that year.

He added another 22 points in 55 games in the 2020-21 regular-season, again registering four goals and seven points in the playoffs as Tampa Bay took care of the Montreal Canadiens in five contests.

In July of 2021, Johnson was traded to the Blackhawks, along with a second-round pick in 2023, in exchange for the contract of Brent Seabrook. He hasn't played in the postseason since, being part of three rebuilding campaigns in the Windy City.

Overall, Johnson has amassed 193 goals and 431 points over 738 career NHL games, averaging 16:26 of ice time in the process. He's out to prove that he can still make a difference in the league, and he's hoping to return to the playoffs with the Bruins in 2024-25.

This isn't the first time Boston has strung along a player well into the season; last year, the front office signed Danton Heinen to a PTO ahead of the season. Heinen didn't play his first game until October 30, but ended up chipping in 17 goals and 36 points — along with a +16 rating. He was also noticeable for the B's in the playoffs.

That led to him signing a two-year, $2.25 million contract with the Vancouver Canucks in free agency this summer. Surely, Johnson will be hoping to go on a similar trajectory, but right now, he's probably just itching to be back on the ice playing meaningful games.