Bruins GM inks former Leaf to one-year deal
Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney opened up the books on Tuesday, signing, sealing and delivering a 1-year deal for former Maple Leaf Anton Stralman. Stralman's new deal will carry a $1M cap hit. The 15-year NHL vet was signed by the Bruins on professional tryout and apparently showed well enough to earn himself a contract.
Originally drafted in the 7th round by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2005 NHL Entry Draft, Stralman has played for 6 teams over his career and for 3 teams in his last 4 years. The 930-game veteran has scored 63 goals and 293 points with a career high of 39 in 2014-15 for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
He played for the Arizona Coyotes last year as he was initially acquired over the summer in a cap dump by the Florida Panthers. With the Boston Bruins defense reeling ahead of their season opener, Stralman has a chance to impress and possibly play a key shutdown role on the bottom pair if he can beat out Connor Clifton, Mike Reilly, or Jakub Zboril. Reilly was already placed on waivers, so Stralman could potentially have the inside track to a roster spot.
He may be 36 years old but he still has some good hockey left in the tank as he is coming off a 9-year stretch where he has averaged over 21 minutes per game. Last year alone he averaged 21:20 for the Coyotes and played a key role on their penalty kill.
