The New York Rangers are set to place forward Nick Bonino on waivers on Thursday afternoon.
The 35-year-old forward signed a one-year deal worth $800,000 with the Rangers this past summer, a decrease from his $2.05 million cap hit the past two seasons with San Jose and Pittsburgh.
Bonino has struggled on the scoresheet, scoring just one goal and five points in 45 games. He has typically been good for at least 10 goals a season, and had a career-best 22 goals and 49 points with the Anaheim Ducks in 2013-14.
Drafted 173rd overall by the San Jose Sharks in 2007, Bonino’s rights were traded to the Ducks during the 2009-10 season, turning pro at the end of his three-year college tenure at Boston University. He bounced around between the NHL and AHL for a few years before eventually establishing himself as an everyday NHLer in 2012-13.
To date, the bottom-six forward has five 30-plus point seasons, coming within five points of the mark three separate times. Now more of a defensive forward, Bonino has struggled to keep up the pace over the past few seasons. That’s expected with age, but he’s still considered a leader in the locker room, having worn the captain’s C with USA at the 2023 World Hockey Championship last May.
The news comes as Filip Chytil joined the Rangers in a non-contact jersey for the first time since suffering a concussion in November.
The Rangers currently hold the top spot in the Metropolitan Division with 67 points, four clear of the Carolina Hurricanes. They have struggled as of late, though, going 3-5-2 over the past 10 games, allowing the Hurricanes to close the gap on the heels of a 7-2-1 run. New York is third in the Eastern Conference, sitting behind the Boston Bruins (67 points) and Florida Panthers (62 points).
The Rangers will host the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday evening before traveling to Ottawa on Saturday. They’ll get next week off with the NHL All-Star Game break, returning to the ice Feb. 5 against the Colorado Avalanche.
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