John Beecher’s next stop has him back in the Atlantic Division, and this time he’s doing it in Florida.
The former Bruins first-round pick has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Panthers worth $850,000, giving him a third team in less than a year after a rocky run that started in Boston and carried through Calgary.
Beecher arrived in the Bruins organization with real expectations after Boston took the center 30th overall in the 2019 Entry Draft. He spent a nice stretch at the University of Michigan before signing his entry-level deal in May of 2022, with his college career ending in the Frozen Four at TD Garden.
Once he turned pro, Beecher played 130 games for Boston and finished with 10 goals and 11 assists. Even while working lower in the lineup, he handled some important face-offs for the Bruins. His strongest season came in 2023-24, when he posted seven goals and 10 points in 52 games.
The 2024-25 season didn’t go nearly as smoothly. Beecher appeared in 35 games for Boston and recorded three goals and seven points, then was brought back on a one-year deal worth $900,000 by general manager Don Sweeney.
That reunion barely got off the ground. Under first-year coach Marco Sturm, Beecher played in just six games and scored once before Sweeney put him on waivers in mid-November.
Calgary claimed him, but the reset never really took. Beecher skated in 29 games for the Flames and produced two goals and six points before reaching free agency without a qualifying offer.
Florida moved quickly once the market opened last Wednesday. The Panthers added Beecher on a one-year, two-way deal, and he now lands in a system that has seen a few familiar Bruins-linked names come through in recent free agency cycles.
Jack Studnicka, after being traded to the Vancouver Canucks, and Brandon Bussi both signed in South Florida. Bussi was later placed on waivers by Florida after training camp, then signed with the Carolina Hurricanes.
The rest, they say, is history. He is now a Stanley Cup champion.
In Other News...
Bruins Linked To Another Risky Center Swing Fans Will Debate
Bostons search for a top-six center is still very much alive after the club already sent away its first-round pick to land JJ Peterka, and that has kept the focus on younger, high-upside names who could grow with the rest of the roster. Shane Wright is one of the more intriguing possibilities in that conversation, mostly because he still carries the sheen of a former No. 4 overall pick even as his NHL path has been anything but linear.
The appeal is obvious for a Bruins team trying to add skill without losing sight of the future, but Wrights uneven development is exactly why this kind of swing would spark debate. Boston has been weighing whether another bet on upside is the right move alongside Peterka and the other younger pieces already in place, and any serious pursuit would likely require a hefty price to make Seattle listen. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Blue Line Squeeze Has Put Another Sweeney Move In Play
The Bruins spent part of the offseason reinforcing the blue line, bringing back Connor Clifton and adding Will Borgen to a group that already had plenty of bodies in the mix. Its the kind of accumulation that can look like depth on paper and like a roster puzzle in practice, especially with training camp approaching and spots becoming harder to sort out.
For Don Sweeney, the challenge now is turning that surplus into the right balance for the coming season. One recent development could help on that front: Jokiharjus gold-medal run at the IIHF World Championship has only sharpened the sense that he could carry real value if Boston decides to keep reshaping its defense. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Offseason Still Feels Incomplete For One Frustrating Reason
Don Sweeney has been busy trying to reshape the Bruins roster, starting with the splashy addition of JJ Peterka from the Utah Mammoth at the cost of two first-round picks. Boston also moved to shore up the blue line by bringing in Will Borgen from the New York Rangers, and it added Connor Clifton as another defense option, giving the front office a few more pieces to work with as the offseason rolls on.
Even with those moves, the work still does not feel finished. The Bruins continue to look short on defense and still need help at top-six center, which is why the overall summer has drawn a mixed review from around the league. Bleacher Reports Sara Civian called it a wanting offseason, and the bigger question now is whether Boston can find the kind of high-end blue-line help it still appears to need to stay in the mix. [Read more 🡒]