Boston Bruins Smart to Sign Johnny Boychuk to New 3-Year Contract

The Boston Bruins have signed defenseman Johnny Boychuk to a three-year contract extension, reports TSN's Bob McKenzie.

Boychuk, 28, was going to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer if the Bruins did not extend his contract before July 1st.

Boychuk has been a fantastic defenseman for the Bruins since making his NHL debut during the 2008-09 season. The Bruins now have defensemen Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg and Adam McQuaid all signed for at least two more seasons.

Boychuk's salary cap hit of $3.36 million seems a little high at first glance, but considering Tim Gleason received a $16 million contract over four years from the Carolina Panthers earlier this month, Boychuk got a fair deal and the Bruins did not overpay.

General manager Peter Chiarelli once again demonstrated financial responsibility by extending Boychuk for just three more seasons, and not risking the team's salary cap flexibility by making the contract longer.

The Bruins have done a great job in recent years of rewarding players short-term contracts of about two to three years, which in turn make the players motivated to perform well so they can earn another lucrative deal.

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Nicholas Goss is a Boston Bruins Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston.