By: Jake Ferraro | Follow me on Twitter/X @18Jxxx18
When he was a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, to begin his National Hockey League career from 2021 to 2025, forward Alex Steeves didn’t get much playing time. Steeves recorded just three points in 14 games as a Maple Leaf during his tenure. Eager for a fresh start, Steeves signed a one-year, $850,000 contract with the Boston Bruins this past offseason.
Steeves quickly turned into a surprising fit when he got off to a solid start in Boston. On Jan. 21, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney signed Steeves to a two-year contract extension at a cap hit of $1.625 million per year. However, since signing the extension, Steeves’ production has gone quiet, and it’s hurting the Bruins.
Steeves proved himself early in Boston when he was called up to the NHL in early November after Elias Lindholm was placed on IR. In just his second game with the Bruins after getting called up, Steeves scored his first goal of the season against his old team in the Bruins’ 5-3 win on Nov. 11. After scoring his first goal of the season, Steeves recorded the first two-goal game of his NHL career against the New York Islanders 15 days later to help the Bruins earn a 3-1 win. One of the two goals Steeves scored against the Islanders was a shorthanded goal.
In December, Steeves scored five goals; two of which occurred in another two-goal game against the Detroit Red Wings on Dec. 2. In January, Steeves got off to a hot start by recording an assist in three of the Bruins’ first four games of the month. After the first four games in January, Steeves didn’t record a point in the Bruins’ next five games. Then, Steeves signed the two-year contract extension. Since then, Steeves’ production has gone cold.
Since signing his extension, Steeves has played in just eight games and has recorded two points. Steeves has also scored just one goal since signing his extension, which occurred at the 2026 NHL Stadium Series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Steeves has also been scratched and missed games due to a lower-body injury.
Overall, Steeves has recorded 16 points in 41 games this season. Despite playing in 26 fewer games than Mark Kastelic and 14 fewer games than Charlie McAvoy this season, Steeves’ nine goals are the same amount as both players have, in a stat that may sound shocking to some.
While the numbers may look solid for a player who was called up in November, Steeves needs to turn his production around quickly for the Bruins. With the $1.625 million salary kicking in next season, the Bruins could be worried that Steeves continues to be cold next season. Steeves’ ice time has dropped recently as well.
If Steeves continues not to have his production be there for the remainder of this season, he could potentially turn into a player the Bruins may want to trade away next season. At 26 years old, his salary won’t be that expensive to try to trade away, but the Bruins need more from Steeves to see if he can be relied on and be an everyday player in the lineup.
When Steeves is on his game, he turns into a solid bottom-six forward who can produce offense. With the Bruins needing wins to grind out a spot in the 2026 playoffs, it offers a perfect chance for Steeves to get hot as he did in the first two months of the season.
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