After signing life-changing NHL contract, Minten driven to reward Bruins for betting on him

MH: Before we get to the contract, I wanted to ask you a bit about your summer. I was following your Instagram. I think I saw some pictures with you and (Matthew) Seminoff and (Daylan) Kuefler. What were you up to this summer?

FM: Yeah, summer was great. I was back home in Vancouver for most of it and then lots of weekend trips to hang out with the boys. Lots of time hiking, lots of time visiting Whistler and Kelowna, those kind of things, so it was a great B.C. summer.

MH: Which of the former Blazers’ teammates do you keep in touch with most these days?

FM: There are lots around Vancouver who I run into and spend lots of time with. Me and Semi work out together almost every day, and then I do my best to see Kuefs as much as I can, too, one of my best friends from that team. I see lots of other guys around the Lower Mainland, Ryan Michael.

MH: It was your first time going through a major contract negotiation. What did you make of the process and was there anything that surprised you about it?

FM: Honestly, it was pretty smooth the whole way through. It was just exciting getting the opportunity to have a long-term deal like that, with an awesome city, team and organization like the Bruins. It’s something I would have loved to hear when I was a junior player and a kid, so I couldn’t be happier with the way things worked out.

MH: You basically had a breakout season and it came at a time when there’s a landscape where you can also see these big deals being shelled out with the salary cap going up. I mean, were you sort of licking your chops a little bit in the off-season? What do you make of how it all came together?

FM: Like you said, pretty fortunate timing. The cap was pretty steady for a while there pre- and post-COVID and then kind of catching up now with the big contracts that are all coming through these days. So, it’s great for hockey, great for the players to see the boom and money and, yeah, the timing was good for me, too.

MH: Seven years, $50.4 million. Why do you think it’s a fair deal for the club and yourself?

FS: It’s a big bet for them to take on somebody with not a ton of NHL experience. You don’t always see guys with 100 games and only really one season under their belt get big long-term deals. But, like you mentioned earlier, there’s the cap that’s trending in the upward direction here a lot, and who knows where it’s going to continue to go with the growth of the game and potentially more teams and TV deals in the U.S. I think it ends up being a good bet on my potential, as well, for the team if I’m able to continue to progress as I hope to do.

MH: It’s life-changing money. What do you think about how it has the potential to change your life?

FM: Yeah, it’s pretty wild. I mean, it was already pretty life-changing making what I was last season. So, yeah, just super grateful to get the opportunity to get money like that to just do a job that I’d do for free. It’s super exciting for me, for my family and I’m excited for the opportunity to be a Bruin.

MH: Speaking of family, do you have any plans to treat them, given your new financial status, or are there any interesting purchases you may care to reveal?

FM: Nothing specific. Haven’t really got into that. I think that’ll start coming, like you said, after next year when the contract kicks in.

MH: Have you had a chance to compare contracts with (Logan) Stankoven? He didn’t sign too long ago, either.

FM: Yeah, I had a chance to talk to him this summer a little bit. He was in Vancouver for a bit, too, so just kind of about the process and obviously he went through it last year, so I had a few chats with him about it.

MH: It was a great season for your team last year. You ran into a great team in the playoffs. What do you think was missing and what are the plans to go a bit further this year?

FM: The playoffs are really tough. We had a lot of guys who were kind of going through it for the first time. It’s another beast, so great to get that experience. Like you said, Buffalo is a really good team and, hopefully, we can learn from that and continue to progress all around as a squad this year. We’ve got a lot of guys returning, so it’ll be pretty similar feel around here for our team. Hopefully, we can take that next step and continue to go in the right direction.

MH: Any areas of your game circled in particular that you want to improve on this season?

FM: Just building. I think I did a great job of being a reliable, sound player last season, want to continue to keep that foundation and try my best to add a little more offence, keep pushing the scoring and the playmaking while not losing what makes me me and that’s that 200-foot, reliable game.

MH: How long until you’re wearing a letter? I think a lot of people in Kamloops who know you and know the sort of leader that you can be would expect that’s something that’s in your future. Is that something that you covet and do you see it in your future in Boston?

FM: We’ll see. It’s up to the guys and the team and the coach. I just want to keep being myself, keep working hard and continue to earn respect amongst the organization and continue to improve and help the team. Whatever comes with that is great.

by Marty Hastings

After signing life-changing NHL contract, Minten driven to reward Bruins for betting on him

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