Despite his request to seek NHL game time elsewhere, Boston Bruins defenseman Jakub Zboril cleared waivers on Thursday and will likely continue his season with the AHL Providence Bruins.
A 2015 first-round pick, Zboril has had a tumultuous tenure with the B’s, whose fans are all too happy to remind the team that picking the defenseman 13th overall cost them a chance at Thomas Chabot or Mat Barzal, two of the seven all-stars selected after the Czech.
Ian Mitchell, Parker Wotherspoon, and Mason Lohrei have emerged in depth roles on Boston’s blue line this year, barring Zboril’s path to reestablish himself for the big club.
Though the 26-year-old has played all of his hockey in Providence this season, where he has seven assists in 19 games, Bruins GM Don Sweeney waived Zboril to accommodate his wish to continue his career elsewhere.
No team bit on his $1.137 million cap hit, and with seven defensemen already active for the Bruins even after franchise blueliner Charlie McAvoy hit the IR, Zboril’s future is unclear.
Top center Pavel Zacha joined McAvoy on the IR today, and the shorthanded Bruins will have to face a New York Islanders team on a six-game points streak on Friday.
5-4-1 over their last 10, the one-invincible Bruins have seen their Atlantic Division lead widdle away to a four-point cushion in recent weeks; the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs will watch closely as they try to hold off the Islanders.
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