The Bruins announced today that they have re-signed forward Ryan Fitzgerald to a one-year, two-way contract worth $700,000 at the NHL level. Fitzgerald, 23, plays center, and has yet to play an NHL game but recorded nine goals and 28 assists in 61 games for the Providence Bruins of the AHL this past season. He also played in four playoff games for them, recording zero goals and one assist during that span. He was drafted in the fourth round (120th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft by the Bruins. He was named an AHL All-Star last season but was unfortunately forced to miss the game due to a worse than initially thought wrist injury. He started the season strong, with 23 points in 29 games, but suffered the previously mentioned wrist injury in early January which caused him to miss 11 games. He struggled to regain form after returning from that, tallying just 14 more points in another 32 games. He also sported a team-worst -25 rating, which is somewhat concerning given he’s typically regarded as a strong two-way player. But, there are many things that aren’t being accounted for in +/-, so it shouldn’t be held against him too much provided he is much better next season.
Fitzgerald is a small player, listed at just 5’9” and 172 pounds, but has a nose for the net and doesn’t shy away from physical play like you may expect him to. He’s also fast and uses his speed and skating ability to get to open areas of ice or to put pressure on his opponents. Regardless of his terrible plus/minus this season, he’s still regarded as a great two-way player, and some think he could contend for a bottom-six roster spot as early as next season. Personally, I think he’s got a little longer to go, but I haven’t really seen him play so you probably shouldn’t take my opinion on him too seriously. We’ll see what happens come October. Regardless of where he plays next season, I like this contract as it’s good to keep prospects in the farm system, and they’re always low-risk deals because if they don’t make the roster, they don’t count against the cap. If they do make the roster, they are typically paid the league minimum or close to it, so it’s not a big deal. He’s a player with potential who is another year or two away from consistent NHL playing time in my opinion but could be easily be called up in the event of injury as soon as next season. Too much depth in the farm system has never hurt anyone, so the Bruins were smart to give him another year to show them what he can do and whether or not he can be an NHL player someday, which allows them a little more time to decide whether or not he can be in their long term plans.
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