From Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe:
Blake Wheeler, the highly-sought winger from the University of Minnesota, has advised his agent to finalize terms of a contract with the Bruins, a two-year deal that won’t be made official until July 1, in keeping with NHL bylaws that govern the movement and signing of unrestricted free agents.
“More than 20 NHL teams were interested in Blake, and this was a very tough decision,’’ said Wellesley-based agent Matt Keator, who also represents Boston captain Zdeno Chara. “And ultimately it came down to a few things for Blake, but mostly that he was comfortable with where the Bruins were headed as an
organization — how this year they brought along kids like David Krejci, Milan Lucic, and Mark Stuart. They’ve done a good job of developing kids, and he wants to continue along that line.’’
Read the entire entry from Bruins Blog here.
The Bruins have to be ecstatic about this signing. They were able to get a big, young, talented forward without giving up anything in return. Adding Wheeler to a youthful core of Kessel, Bergeron, Krejci and Lucic should give the Bruins fans much to look forward to in the coming years.