Why Tyler Johnson PTO makes sense for Bruins before training camp originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Bruins need scoring depth, particularly on the wing, so it wasn’t too surprising when the team announced last week it had signed veteran forward Tyler Johnson to a PTO (professional tryout agreement) ahead of training camp.
Johnson obviously isn’t going to be a savior — if he even makes the team — but you could do a lot worse than the two-time Stanley Cup champion at this point in the offseason.
Johnson played the last two seasons with the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks. He tallied 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists) in 56 games in 2022-23 and 31 points (17 goals, 14 assists) in 67 games last season.
Johnson’s even-strength scoring (nine goals, six assists) was underwhelming last season. But he did play well on the power play for the Blackhawks, where he posted 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) in 2023-24. The only player on the Bruins who had more power-play goals than Johnson last season was David Pastrnak with 12. Everyone else on the B’s roster had seven or fewer.
The 34-year-old veteran’s faceoff win percentage dipped to 44.4 percent last season. But he was above 50 percent in each of the three previous years, and his overall win percentage over that four-year span was 50.3 percent. The Bruins ranked 21st in faceoff percentage last season, down from a No. 2 ranking the year before.
Johnson is capable of playing at center or on the wing. He’s mostly played down the middle, but he’s versatile enough to be productive on the wing. The Bruins really need another scorer on the wing after losing Jake DeBrusk (19 goals), Danton Heinen (17 goals) and James van Riemsdyk (11 goals) over the offseason.
Pastrnak and Marchand are both elite wingers, but if either one missed a prolonged stretch of games due to injury, the B’s would be in real trouble at those positions. Johnson, as a right shot, is better suited at right wing, where the Bruins are a bit thin right now.
Sure, the best-case scenario for the Bruins would be one of their young prospects, such as Georgii Merkulov or Fabian Lysell, giving a great performance in training camp and earning an Opening Night roster spot. Matthew Poitras returning from injury and building on his impressive debut season would be another ideal scenario for Boston.
But the Bruins can’t just assume these young players will make that leap, so it’s good to have a proven, experienced veteran like Johnson in the mix just in case.
Playoff experience is another attribute Johnson would give the Bruins. He has played in 116 career postseason games, including three runs to the Stanley Cup Final with the Lightning. He won the Stanley Cup in 2019-20 and 2020-21.
The Johnson PTO is a low-risk move for the Bruins. If it works, they can add an experienced, versatile player to their lineup at a small cost, which is helpful given how close to the salary cap they’ll likely be this season. If it doesn’t work out, it’s not a huge deal.
And, again, in a perfect world for the Bruins, Lysell, Merkulov and/or Poitras play really well in camp and make Johnson expendable.
Training camp begins Sept. 18.
