On Jesper Boqvist's departure

The 24-year-old has signed a one-year deal with the Bruins, closing the book on six-year stint as a member of the Devils organization.

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Jesper Boqvist has found a new home, signing a one-year deal to join the Boston Bruins.

I think that was smart destination choice for Boqvist. The Bruins have high-end talent but they like to disperse it on multiple lines, leaving for the possibility of Boqvist playing with some very good linemates if he performs well or the Bruins run into injuries.

They’re also paper thin down the middle and there’s a lot of uncertainty with the position. I still expect Patrice Bergeron to return but it’s not a given. David Krejci is likely a goner.

Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha headline their current options at center – yeah, it’s that bad – so there is certainly opportunity for Boqvist to carve out a nice role for himself.

Even if he ends up playing in the middle-6, or primarily on the wing, Boqvist will have the ability to establish himself on a good team and try to land a deal with more security next summer.

From the Devils’ side of things, I’m not the least bit surprised they walked away.

The writing was on the wall for Boqvist – he wasn’t used much in the playoffs, there are internal options coming, Tom Fitzgerald talked about wanting to change the mix, etc. – and I think the Devils were justified in moving on.

Realistically speaking, the Devils have one top-9 spot available right now (RW3). I understand not opting for Boqvist to fill it.

Boqvist has shown flashes of high-end skill but he is a very inefficient offensive player.

His scoring is inconsistent, he doesn’t shoot a ton, and he doesn’t create much for his linemates. Boqvist averaged 0.87 assists per 60 of 5v5 play last season, which was good for 196th among forwards to log 500+ minutes of ice.

He graded out even worse when looking at primary assists, ranking 268th using the same criteria. The likes of Sean Kuraly and Ryan Lomberg outpaced Boqvist in that regard.