Bruins place Tyler Johnson on unconditional waivers, set to terminate contract
A veteran looks to be heading out of New England.
On Thursday, the Boston Bruins placed forward Tyler Johnson waivers on unconditional waivers for the purposes of contract termination.
Tyler Johnson (BOS) on unconditional waivers for purposes of contract termination.
Everyone from yesterday cleared
It hasn’t been explained why the Bruins made this decision, but as long as Johnson clears waivers on Friday, he will become a free agent to sign with any other team in the NHL or possibly head overseas.
Johnson was invited to Bruins training camp on a professional tryout agreement, but didn’t make the team due to salary constraints. However, he was eventually signed to a one-year contract in early November, with a prorated cap hit of $775,000. Since then, the 34-year-old has appeared in nine of Boston’s last 20 games, registering a pair of assists, including a helper on the Bruins’ lone goal in a 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Nov. 29.
Johnson was last in the lineup for the B’s last Thursday when the team lost 5-1 to the Seattle Kraken. During his tenure in Boston, the Spokane, Washington native registered a plus/minus of -1 while averaging 13:05 of ice time.
The Bruins are just the third team in Johnson’s 13-year career in the NHL. He made a name for himself as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning, playing nine years with the Bolts, winning two Stanley Cups with the franchise (2020 and 2021) before spending the past three seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks.
In 747 career NHL games, Johnson has scored 193 goals and 240 assists for 433 points, including 65 points in 116 postseason appearances.
The Bruins (17-13-3) are currently third in the Atlantic Division, five points back of the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs, who are tied for first place.