The Boston Bruins have re-signed one of their free agent defensemen. However, their first deal of the offseason isn't for one of the key players that many fans expected.
The Bruins have agreed to a two-year contract with veteran defenseman Steven Kampfer, giving him a two-year extension through the 2020-21 season. The deal carries an annual cap hit of $800,000.
Kampfer was a key role player for the Boston Bruins last season. When called upon in the regular season, he had 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists) in 35 games of action while averaging 14:38 time on ice. And in the playoffs, he appeared in three games for the squad and notched his first career postseason goal against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Though Kampfer didn't see a lot of action, he serves as an experienced depth piece with seven years of NHL experience. And when called upon, he was solid. The Bruins probably were looking to retain him as cheap depth, especially with a couple of their top defenseman -- Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo -- hitting restricted free agency (though keeping both McAvoy and Carlo is a priority for the Bruins).
Additionally, Torey Krug is entering the final season of his contract, so re-upping with Kampfer for two years gives them depth in case he leaves or if the team chooses to trade him.
Boston Bruins
And even with Kampfer in the fold for two more years, Joe Haggerty explains that this deal isn't necessarily a precursor to Don Sweeney trading away one of the team's other blue-liners.
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