Boston Bruins Have Made A Significant Move In His Search For A New Residence

Defenseman Jakub Zbořil’s Boston Bruins have made a significant move in his search for a new residence. On Wednesday, the team placed him on waivers.

Although The Athletic’s Chris Johnston broke the story first, this does not mean that the contract is being terminated. Rather, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli makes it clear that the defenseman is seeking a shift. In response to Zbořil’s request, the Bruins are looking into other teams’ interest in signing him to a contract.

Zbořil was selected 13th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, making him a part of the infamous draft class that saw the team consistently fail to score goals. Shortly after, he agreed to a three-year entry-level deal, and in the 2018–19 season, he made his NHL debut. He then played for a while in the minor leagues with the Providence Bruins, an AHL affiliate. Zbořil is in the second year of a two-year, $1,137,500 cap hit contract and will soon be eligible to sign as an unrestricted free agent.
Along the way, Zbořil was loaned to HC Kometa Brno of the Czech Extraliga in September 2020, when the NHL was on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He then reached an agreement with the Bruins to extend his contract by two years and $1.45 million. Although the Bruins left Thomas Chabot, Mat Barzal, and Kyle Connor on the table when making their decisions, DeBrusk has proven to be a useful addition. It is hard to fathom how much better they could have been if they had selected those three players in the first round instead.