After a short stint in Providence where he got to show what he could do against professionals, the Bruins announced on Wednesday afternoon that they’ve signed James Hagens to his entry-level contract (ELC).
The three-year ELC begins with the current (2025-2026) season and carries a cap hit of $975,000 at the NHL level.
With his amateur tryout now over and his ELC signed, Hagens is free to join the B’s at the NHL level, should they determine there’s a spot for him on the NHL roster.
That part is likely
a formality, as the Bruins probably wouldn’t bother having him sign a contract if they didn’t intend to get him some game time at the NHL level.
It’s worth remembering that the 23-man roster limit is lifted after the trade deadline, so the Bruins don’t technically have to send anyone down to make space for Hagens.
However, they do still need to be cap compliant, so it’s possible that there’s a corresponding move coming. That will likely come down to the extremely detailed, daily salary cap number crunching that I won’t pretend to understand.
Hagens ended up playing six games with the Providence Bruins, recording a goal and three assists for four points.
The stretch beginning today always seemed like the most likely time for the B’s to pull the trigger on this move, as Hagens would (in theory) have two full days of practice with the NHL team prior to Saturday’s game against the Lightning.
With the offense stagnating in recent games (though things went OK in Carolina last night), it makes sense to see if Hagens can provide a bit of a spark, whether it’s with playmaking abilities, skating, or whatever else.
The Bruins will practice at Warrior Arena at 11 AM on Thursday morning; presumably, Hagens will be there.
Marco Sturm will address the media after practice, so we’ll likely get some more details on the team’s immediate plans for Hagens at that time.
HAGENSMANIA BEGINS!
