Matt Poitras is staying with the Boston Bruins, but this new deal reads more like a trial run than a guarantee.
The Bruins announced Wednesday that Poitras signed a one-year, two-way contract extension, keeping the young forward in the organization for another season.
The deal carries an $870,000 cap hit for the 22-year-old forward, keeping him on the cheap end of Boston's payroll for now.
Poitras has appeared in three games this season, picking up one goal and a plus-one rating in that stretch.
He wears number 51 for Boston, part of a forward group trying to build off last season's 45-27-10 finish.
That record was good for 100 points and an eighth-place spot overall, with a plus-22 goal differential to show for it.
The Bruins were far stronger at home too, going 29-11-1, compared to a 16-16-9 mark away from the Garden.
Poitras signs for well under $1 million on new deal
Head coach Marco Sturm and GM Don Sweeney now have Poitras under contract before training camp battles for forward jobs even begin.
A two-way contract is more like a month-to-month lease than a mortgage. Boston can option him to Providence without much fuss.
So why not just make him a full one-way player if he's this close to sticking? That question is the real story here.
The graphic Boston posted drops Poitras mid-stride, stick on the puck along the boards, the same shifty carry that got him drafted in the first place.
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Boston also closed last season on a two-game winning streak, going 5-3-2 over its final ten games before the playoffs began.
For context, fellow young forward James Hagens carries a $975,000 cap hit of his own, with one assist in two games this season.
Where Poitras lands on the depth chart once camp opens is still unsettled. This deal buys Boston time, not certainty.
Should the Bruins have given Matt Poitras a one-way deal instead of a two-way extension?
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