The Bruins are not going to simply award NHL roster spots to their 2024-25 hopefuls up front.

Instead, players such as Georgii Merkulov and Fabian Lysell will have some notable competition for their potential gigs with Jim Montgomery’s squad, with veteran forward Tyler Johnson slated to attend 2024 training camp on a professional tryout with the Bruins.

Confirmed by the Bruins on Saturday, Johnson’s move to Boston comes after a 2023-24 season that included 17 goals and 31 points in 67 games for the Blackhawks. Johnson’s 17 goals were his most since a career-best 29 markers for the Lightning in 2018-19, while his 16 power-play points were his most since he tallied 17 points on the man advantage back in 2016-17.

More of a winger than a center at this point in his career, Johnson will come to camp competing for realistically looks like one of two open spots on the Bruins’ roster, with the winger who’ll ride to the right of Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle and the third-line finisher with Trent Frederic and/or Morgan Geekie currently unsettled with just a few weeks before the official opening of camp.

A veteran of 738 NHL games, the 34-year-old Johnson is best known for his tenure with Tampa Bay, where he spent nine of his 12 seasons to date and ultimately won Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021.

How the Bruins utilize Johnson in training camp will be worth an immediate look, too, as the Bruins had two camp invites during last year's training with Danton Heinen and Alex Chiasson. Heinen was put in a promising spot out of the gate and ultimately earned a contract by the end of October, while Chiasson was quickly cut from B's camp.

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