Former Bruins Danton Heinen

[Gee Wally]

He’s a very inexpensive asset that won’t hurt you. Can slide up or down where needed for spurts.
Reminds of an Axelsson type role.

 

[HustleB]

I might be wrong but I thought he COULD play center.

I thought he could be a PKer all along and it finally happened. It wouldn’t shock me at all if he does that in the future. I’m pretty sure he played Center in college. He seems to have the proper mindset. A perfect fill in candidate for a night if it comes to that.

 

[rocketdan9]

I've never been the biggest Heinen fan. Good hockey sense and skills, but I always thought he lacked effort, urgency and intensity in his game. Almost certainly the fact that the best he could get this past summer was a PTO with a former team and coach. That is probably weighing on him for next season and affecting his play in a good way And you can see it on the ice.

I dont think he lacks effort....but I do agree on lack of urgency aspect. Then again... this is likely part of his repetoire (good and bad).

Like someone suggested... Freddy Coyle Heinen is a solid 3rd line on paper. Coyle and Heinen had a good connection 4-5 years ago.

For now... Marchand Poitras Heinen looks good

 

[GordonHowe]

Heinen immediately went after Smith after the Marchand hit last night btw

He absolutely did and I give him credit.

As Brick said many years ago about Andrew Ferrence, who was not the biggest guy either, "He's willing."

If Montgomery challenged his charges to answer hits like that and finish their checks -- which he almost certainly did -- Heinen was listening.

"Push back" last night was encouraging. I don't know if Sweeney can, or will, bring in at least two big boys with attitude who can bang in season. I hope he tries.

Because relying solely on Trent Frederic for this kind of thing is not nearly enough. It's laughable, and I'm not knocking Frederic.

The Bruins can "push back" -- consistently? -- but they need a major injection of piss & vinegar to actually "initiate."

I have my doubts anything will change in this regard with Sweeney making the decisions.

Where's Stan Jonathan when you need him?



For that matter, where's Andrew Ferrence?

 

[GordonHowe]

Danton Heinen is looking like a bargain-bin steal for Bruins

Signed to a one-year, $775,000 contract in late October, Danton Heinen is looking like a great value add for the Bruins.

www.boston.com

 

[Ozzy Osbourne]

Heinen for 750k is looking like the best signing of the entire off season. Not just by the Bruins but the entire league. Well, bang for your buck anyways.

 

[ODAAT]

Heinen has always been a smart player and always had a bit of offense in him. I think the Heinen skeptics, understandably so, were basing their evaluation of Heinen this pre-season on his previous time in Boston and hadn't watched him much post-Boston. This comment by Heinen pretty well sums up the difference between his first stint with Boston and where he is now:

“It hasn’t always been that way, but I think I rely on my stick a lot. I think maybe too much in the past, but kind of trying to get better at getting body position, getting my body in there and then relying on my stick to win it, So, a little bit of both there and something I keep on trying to improve on.”

He was using his body a lot more with Pit than before when he was a B. He was going in with his body during board battles rather than standing a couple feet away and poking around with his stick. The softness reputation he had during his first go with Boston wasn't inaccurate. Contrast that with 2023 when he is winning board battles and has been first on the scene twice in one week during shenanigans after the whistle.

He seems more confident now and doesn't shy away from physical play like he did in the past. He still might seem too soft for some (he's never going to be a banger), but as Monty pointed out Heinen is winning 50-50 battles 64% of the time. That's damn effective for an NHL player, physical player or not.

Having said all that, Heinen is still primarily going to thrive in the bottom 6, while playing a game here and there in the top-6 when the need arises. One great game in the top 6 against the Sharks doesn't mean he needs to be a permanent fixture in the top 6. Ideally the Bs would have a better option in the top-6, but given the cap situation Heinen might end up shouldering more games in the top-6 than what would be optimal. It'll be interesting to see how he does against non-AHL competition across multiple games in that role. @Absurdity summed Heinen up well when calling him a chameleon.

great post friend

 

[BostonBruins11]

He's way more involved physically then past years. Always had the IQ, passing skills, hands and release. The only thing holding him back is his skating(like so many)

 

[chizzler]

We just had to send him away for a few years to get some seasoning.

 

[missingchicklet]

We just had to send him away for a few years to get some seasoning.

Would have never guessed at the time he was traded that he would be back with the Bs in 2023 while Thicc Nick would be playing in Finland.

 

[Kalus]

For one thing, he's 28 years old and entering his prime years. As fans we often give up on players too soon. With some notable exceptions, most players peak between 28-30. At least that's been my observation.

Prime years for forwards starts much earlier these days. At 28, he is nearing the end of his prime.

 

[Ladyfan]

Danton played well last night...yet again

 

[neelynugs]

great story this season. that extra bit of pushback in his game is a nice addition.
guy was always smart and solid, but the vanilla play always made him look like
a passenger. i like the new and improved heino.

 

[ODAAT]

another strong game for my man crush. Still can`t think of too many players who would have been willing as he was, to wait as long as he did, practice, without a deal in place, speaks to his character

 

[sarge88]

Glad he’s playing well and hope he scores 40 points and the B’s win the cup.

Just want to point out that each and every post commenting on how different he is this time around here validates what those of us who weren’t/aren’t fans of his based on his first tour of duty here said about him.

If anyone wants to make a case that he’s no different now than he was 3/4 years ago, I’ll be happy to listen, but in the end, I’m pretty sure my conclusion will be that you’re lying or are delusional.

For the last few weeks he’s playing like he cares and isn’t as timid as in the past, which is a stark contrast to the rest of his time here.

I‘m never going to apologize for disliking his signing based on what he was prior to the last few weeks.

I‘m just glad he’s finally contributing on a consistent basis, which was not the case previously.

 

[Mr. Make-Believe]

Didn't have any interest in seeing Heinen back in Boston. Zilch.

He's been good in almost every game he's played. And especially so in these last two response wins after the losing streak. It's these two games that are especially encouraging to me, not just because of his play, but the importance of the games he stepped up in.

 

[HumBucker]

Good, smart, solid, consistent if undazzling bottom-6 player who can sometimes fill in top-6 minutes when needed.

 

[Ladyfan]

another strong game for my man crush. Still can`t think of too many players who would have been willing as he was, to wait as long as he did, practice, without a deal in place, speaks to his character

The coach really fought to have him on the team.

Danton has been very good

 

[DarrenBanks56]

glad he was on the ice to close out the game.

 

[bruinshoper]

That pass he made to set up Marchand’s goal tonight was absolutely sick. What a beautiful play.

 

[DKH]

great story this season. that extra bit of pushback in his game is a nice addition.
guy was always smart and solid, but the vanilla play always made him look like
a passenger. i like the new and improved heino.

Older, smarter, more comfortable with Monty as coach

 

[Aussie Bruin]

Ade you saying that he’s the same player now as he was in his his last stint here?

I'd say he's closer to it than you believe. Across 2017-2019 Heinen had 81 points in 154 games, and was +23. That's better than .500 PPG while also being defensively responsible, all while spending time on various lines but most often on the 3rd. By any criteria that's a quality NHL player. Then in 2019-2020 he regressed a bit. Production wasn't terrible but he seemed to lose half a step in his game and he was struggling to make a consistent impact, and few were sad when he was traded, even though Sweeney as it turned out probably made a bad trade.

Now he's back and again a .500 player, with the same good passing skills and vision and a pretty high hockey IQ. I see two things different from 2019 - he's that bit more mature, and he's playing with a little more urgency and certainly some extra grit. He seems that bit more keen to make things happen. Well and good, and for sure he seems to be an improved player as a result. I'd just dispute that the change is that significant. The skills and the production haven't changed, just his attitude and style have progressed.

I know we're never going to fully agree on Heinen, and that's fine, but that's how I see it. He's a better player, albeit small sample so we'll see how he goes as the season progresses, but I just don't see a wildly different one.

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

I totally forget the return in the trade, but I insist that it was a "bad" trade. I agree that it made sense because he had trended lower than his standard in the end of that stint. stint, stint, stint. stint is a word with a meaning seemingly undiluted via repetition. stint.

Are you having a seizure or something?

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

always. I get confiscatory with: air, food, information. carpe!

on track: maybe you could post about Heinen and stop responding to my posts in this manner. I am not for everyone, but Heinen is like Ely, The People's Guy. Danton of all trades. I invite learning and promote love. hate away.

Why don’t you post your model? There’s plenty of player evaluation models out there and none are secret. Just posting random numbers - especially with incredibly outlying numbers on some players - is confiscated air for sure.

 

[sarge88]

I'd say he's closer to it than you believe. Across 2017-2019 Heinen had 81 points in 154 games, and was +23. That's better than .500 PPG while also being defensively responsible, all while spending time on various lines but most often on the 3rd. By any criteria that's a quality NHL player. Then in 2019-2020 he regressed a bit. Production wasn't terrible but he seemed to lose half a step in his game and he was struggling to make a consistent impact, and few were sad when he was traded, even though Sweeney as it turned out probably made a bad trade.

Now he's back and again a .500 player, with the same good passing skills and vision and a pretty high hockey IQ. I see two things different from 2019 - he's that bit more mature, and he's playing with a little more urgency and certainly some extra grit. He seems that bit more keen to make things happen. Well and good, and for sure he seems to be an improved player as a result. I'd just dispute that the change is that significant. The skills and the production haven't changed, just his attitude and style have progressed.

I know we're never going to fully agree on Heinen, and that's fine, but that's how I see it. He's a better player, albeit small sample so we'll see how he goes as the season progresses, but I just don't see a wildly different one.

I see an entirely different player, TBH.

I mean it’s still early, and he’s likely not going to continue at this pace, but aside from the toughness, grit, effort and engagement issues I had with him during round 1 here, he also had long goal-less and point less stretches.

Again, I’m glad he’s contributing consistently. He‘ll never be my cup of tea, but I can live with him if he keeps this up.