Bruins free agency recap: a handful of moves made on a busy July 1

There’s no such thing as summer vacation in the NHL!

The calendar turned to July today, kicking off a new segment of the NHL offseason. Don Sweeney and the Bruins certainly weren’t enjoying the current Boston heat wave by sitting on the beach.

The B’s made seven official transactions today, a mixture of one-way deals, two-way deals and one prospect signing.

Our site team did a great job grabbing the news as it happened, but here’s an all-in-one recap of today’s Bruins-related happenings.

Players coming in

From a press release from the team, here are the official transactions from today:

• Goalie Jaroslav Halak was signed to a two-year contract worth $2.75 million per season.
• Defenseman John Moore was signed to a five-year contract worth $2.75 million per season.
• Forward Chris Wagner was signed to a two-year deal worth $1.25 million per season.
• Forward Joakim Nordstrom was signed to a two-year deal worth $1 million per season.
• Defenseman Cody Goloubef was signed to a one-year, two-way contract worth $650,000 while he’s playing in the NHL.
• Forward Mark McNeill was signed to a one-year, two-way contract worth $650,000 while he’s playing in the NHL.
• 2018 second-round draft pick Axel Andersson signed his entry-level NHL contract; the deal is for three years at just a shade over $825,000 per season.

So there are your new Bruins! Halak will serve as the back-up to Tuukka Rask. Moore figures to be a second- or third-pairing defenseman. Nordstrom and Wagner will fill depth roles on the third or fourth line.

McNeill and Goloubef figure to be Providence guys for the most part, but they could make NHL appearances if called upon. Andersson could play stateside, but will likely return to Sweden with a shiny new NHL contract in his back pocket.

Players heading out

That’s right, it’s not all about the imports! Several former Bruins were on the move today.

• Anton Khudobin signed a two-year contract with the Dallas Stars; the deal is worth $2.5 million per season.
• Riley Nash cashed in on his strong season by signing a three-year contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets; the deal is worth $2.75 million per season.
• Speaking of the Blue Jackets, they also signed away Providence captain Tommy Cross, as he’s heading to Ohio on a one-year, two-way deal.
• Tim Schaller signed a two-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks; the deal is worth $1.9 million per year.
• Nick Holden signed a two-year deal with the Vegas Golden Knights; the deal has an AAV of $2.2 million.
• Austin Czarnik signed a two-year deal with the Calgary Flames; the deal is reportedly worth $1.25 million per season.

So there you have it! A busy July 1st in the books. The Bruins may not have made a mega splash, but they addressed an area of need (back-up goalie) and added some depth.

They also made a move (John Moore) that seems to foreshadow another move down the line. It should be an interesting summer!

What are your thoughts on today’s moves?