Boston Bruins Place Steen, Defensemen On Waivers

The final roster for the Boston Bruins is beginning to take shape with more cuts from training camp, including Swedish winger Oskar Steen being placed on waivers to be sent down to the Providence Bruins.

Oskar Steen (BOS), Brady Keeper (VAN), Mitchell Stephens (MTL), Luke Philp (CHI), Collin Delia (VAN), Noah Juulsen (VAN) are the notables on waivers today.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) October 4, 2022

The Bruins are rolling the dice that Steen won’t be claimed after landing a one-way contract with the B’s for this coming season, and veteran defensemen Connor Carrick and Nick Wolff were also placed on waivers to be sent down to the AHL.

Carrick and Wolff were both solid in camp, so there is a pretty good chance they’ll be called upon to help Boston’s back end at some point this season.

Steen had a so-so camp with the B’s this season with an NHL job on the line. He scored a goal in Boston’s home preseason opening win against the New York Rangers and had good moments during training camp practices, but he also never really forced his way into a conversation where fellow right wing candidates Marc McLaughlin and Chris Wagner have outplayed him.

McLaughlin has been excellent in a possible fourth line combination with AJ Greer and Jack Studnicka, while Wagner has brought physicality, energy and smart, steady veteran play as the kind of player that could stick around as the 13^th forward on the NHL roster. All the bottom-6 forward candidates had pedestrian nights in Monday night’s 1-0 preseason road loss to the New Jersey Devils, a setting where anybody on the roster bubble had a chance to seize an NHL job with a standout performance.

Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery made no bones about it being “go time” for those forwards grinding it for jobs over the next week or two.

“I don’t know exactly when, but we are going to get down to our numbers here shortly so the time to impress is right now,” said Montgomery, prior to Monday’s game against the Devils.

🎥 Coach Montgomery on nearing the end of training camp: “I don’t know exactly when, but we are going to get down to our numbers here shortly so the time to impress is right now…in these next two games especially.” pic.twitter.com/9ISbSt3vsJ

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) October 3, 2022

Studnicka similarly needs waivers to be sent down to the AHL and isn’t likely to go unclaimed if the Boston Bruins roll the dice with him ahead of the regular season. It’s a little more unclear with the 24-year-old Steen, who has shown flashes while posting two goals and six points in 23 games for the Boston Bruins over the last few seasons.