Jonathan Aspirot is making his first opportunity in the National Hockey League count.
The 26-year-old defenseman, who had toiled for 297 AHL games before getting his first chance at the big time this season with the Bruins, signed a two-year extension with the B’s for an annual salary of $887,500 on Sunday.
If Aspirot can continue to play like he has in his first 25 games as an NHLer, the deal is a steal for the B’s. Playing with a mix of urgency and physicality, Aspirot is plus-15 and has two goals and an assist. He has been able to step up and play important roles when the Bruins when their top defensemen Charlie McAvoy and now Hampus Lindholm have been out injured. He is currently playing on a top pairing with McAvoy.
Aspirot’s best underlying stat? Going into Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the B’s were 18-6-1 with Aspirot in the lineup.
The B’s signed Aspirot as a free agent in the offseason after he played four seasons with the Belleville Senators and two with the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL.
Seemingly made for new coach Marco Sturm’s new hybrid zone/man-to-man with his ability to close on players quickly, Aspirot was one of the last cuts in training camp. But after five games with Providence (1-2-3 totals, plus-2), injuries began to hit in Boston and he was brought up.
It was becoming obvious that he had made himself a very valuable piece if this season’s team. Now it looks like he’s going to stick around a bit longer.
