BOSTON — When the Bruins traded former franchise cornerstone Milan Lucic to Los Angeles this past June, they received two players in return.
One, rookie defenseman Colin Miller, remains in Boston and has played in 14 games for the B’s this season.
The other, goalie Martin Jones, was a Bruin for about 15 seconds.
“I think he sent a tweet out there,” Miller said Tuesday, “and two minutes later, he was getting traded (again). That’s kind of how it goes, right?”
OK, both our 15-second and Miller’s two-minute estimates are exaggerations, but only slight ones. Following his June 26 trade from the Kings — which also sent a first-round pick to Boston — Jones was property of the Bruins for all of five days before being dealt again June 30, this time to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a first-round pick in 2016 and collegiate forward prospect Sean Kuraly.
With the 25-year-old netminder set to hit free agency July 1, San Jose promptly signed him to a three-year, $7 million contract. He immediately became the Sharks’ No. 1 goaltender and has impressed thus far, posting a 8-5-0 record with a 2.11 goals against average and .923 save percentage in 14 starts. In the first four of those starts, he surrendered just two total goals.
“He’s a good goalie — a very good goalie,” said Miller, whose time with the Kings’ AHL affiliate in Manchester briefly overlapped Jones’. “I was only with him for about two months (in Manchester), but he’s a solid guy. Big goaltender, pretty confident. So, I think we’ve got to get bodies in front of him and make sure that he can’t see.”
With the Sharks in town to play the Bruins, Jones was asked Tuesday morning to reflect on what must have been a very bizarre week for him. He did not have much to say.
“I don’t really have any memories,” said Jones, who served as Jonathan Quick’s backup in L.A. before the initial trade. “It happened pretty quick. … The shock of getting traded was still sinking in, so there’s not really much to tell there.”
Bruins coach Claude Julien had a similar take on the situation, which transpired during the immediate lead-up to and aftermath of the 2015 NHL Draft.
“Well, I mean, I never had an opportunity,” Julien said. “He was in and out so quickly, it was hard for me to have a reaction.”
After Jones’ speedy departure, the Bruins held what amounted to a four-way tryout for the right to back up starting goalie Tuukka Rask. Malcolm Subban, Jeremy Smith, Zane McIntyre and Jonas Gustavsson all vied for the job during the preseason, with Gustavsson, who attended camp on a tryout offer, ultimately winning out.
So far, he’s looked like a smart choice. The 30-year-old veteran has won three of four starts this season, posting a 2.25 goals against average with a .912 save percentage.
“I think it’s worked out well,” Julien said. “I think Gus has been really good for us. He’s given us a chance to win in every game that he’s played. Certainly not been the guy that you point the finger at and say, ‘He wasn’t good enough for us tonight.’ (When) you have a backup goalie that does that, there’s no complaints from a coach.”
Thumbnail photo via John Hefti/USA TODAY Sports Images
