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In preparation of a season opening contest with the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Thursday night, the Boston Bruins continued to trim their NHL roster closer towards their 23-man group with a series of moves following a Monday practice at Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton.
Not on the ice for a special teams heavy practice, the Bruins put forwards
Seth Griffith,
Tyler Randell, and
Tim Schaller on waivers, while veteran d-man
Christian Ehrhoff has decided to go back home and was released from his professional tryout with the club.
The 23-year-old Griffith hits the waiver wire after a preseason that included one goal, two points, and five shots on goal in four games played. Griffith recorded one helper in four NHL games last year, but shined for the Providence Bruins, with 24 goals and the second-most points in the American Hockey League, with 77 points in just 57 AHL games played. Derailed out of an NHL job with a knee injury last preseason, and then bumped with a concussion shortly into his return back to action (in the AHL), the 5-foot-9 Griffith has found difficulty sticking with the Big B’s since jumping to the pro ranks in 2013.
Drafted by the Bruins in the fifth round in 2012 (131st overall) and on a new one-way contract with the Black and Gold, Griffith had realistic hopes of cracking the B’s opening night roster out of camp. It certainly seems unlikely that Griffith -- with 56 goals and 158 points in 165 AHL games along with six goals and 11 points in 35 NHL games -- will escape the waiver wire without a team claiming him.
Randell hits the wire after a surprising six goals and 47 penalty minutes in 27 games a year ago. The closest thing the organization has to an enforcer, the 6-foot-1 winger is a player that simply does his job well, and would be the first player called up if there are scores to settle come regular season time.
Schaller, a Merrimack, N.H., native, finished the preseason with zero points in two games, and like both Griffith and Randell, will report to the P-Bruins if he does indeed clear waivers. It will be a familiar return of sorts for Schaller, too, as he spent his collegiate career with Providence College.
And though he was a participant in Monday’s practice, the Bruins have granted the 34-year-old Ehrhoff a release from his tryout with the club. A well-traveled defenseman if there ever was one, the Bruins would have been Ehrhoff’s fourth club in the last two seasons, and sixth team overall.
The Bruins did have an interest in signing Ehrhoff, but without a solidified role in Boston’s top six, Ehrhoff, a father to three young children, has opted to return back home to Germany.
Defensemen
Adam McQuaid (undisclosed) and
Kevan Miller both missed Monday’s practice with injuries. Miller, who was already dealing with a knee injury, was apparently hurt in Boston’s preseason finale last Saturday, and was being further evaluated at their facility today.
The practice also went on without center
Austin Czarnik (undisclosed). The 23-year-old Czarnik, a likely fit for the club’s third line to begin the year, was crushed on a board from Philadelphia Flyers d-man
Radko Gudas last Saturday, and did not return to the game.
Ty Anderson has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, has been a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter since 2013, and can also be read in the New England Hockey Journal magazine. Contact him on Twitter or send him an email at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.
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