The Bruins were hoping Tyler Johnson could be this year’s Danton Heinen: A veteran forward who comes in on a professional tryout and turns into a Swiss Army knife who can play all over the lineup. It didn’t quite work out that way, and now Boston is moving on from Johnson.
The Bruins placed Johnson on unconditional waivers on Thursday. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman adds that the move is “for purposes of contract termination,” meaning Johnson will be done with the Bruins whether he clears waivers or not.
It’s a tough ending for Johnson, who patiently remained with the Bruins without a contract until finally signing a one-year, $775,000 deal on Nov. 4. Unfortunately, he just wasn’t able to contribute the way anyone had hoped.
Johnson had zero goals and two assists in nine games, and he had been a healthy scratch in seven of the last eight games. In the one game he played during that stretch – last Thursday in Seattle – he was a minus-4 and also took an offensive-zone penalty.
Marc McLaughlin, who has two goals in the last two games, had earned more playing time of late, and then the Bruins added another right wing over the weekend when they claimed Oliver Wahlstrom off waivers from the New York Islanders.
Wahlstrom will make his Bruins debut Thursday night in Edmonton, skating on the third line with Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic. Mark Kastelic will slide back down to the fourth line with McLaughlin and Johnny Beecher, while Cole Koepke draws out.
The Bruins could have even more forward depth if or when they decide to recall Matt Poitras, who is currently riding a seven-game goal-scoring streak for AHL Providence.
The NHL’s annual holiday roster freeze begins Thursday night at midnight and extends through Dec. 27, meaning any trades, waiver moves or loans to the AHL that teams want to make must be completed before then.