Bruins Sign Edward To ELC; Place Mitchell On Waivers

The Boston Bruins made two almost simultaneous roster transactions on Wednesday afternoon.

The team first announced that they had signed defenseman Jack Edward to a three-year entry-level contract that carries a $850,000 NHL salary cap hit. The 19-year-old Edward, who the Boston Bruins drafted in the seventh round (200th overall) of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, is currently playing for the London Knights in the Ontario Hockey League and has two goals and four assists in ten games this season. He cannot be brought up to the NHL or AHL until his season with the Knights is over next spring.

The Boston Bruins then announced that they had placed defenseman Ian Mitchell on waivers. 31 NHL teams now have until noon ET tomorrow to claim Mitchell and his $775,000 salary cap hit. If he goes unclaimed, Mitchell will then report to the Providence Bruins. Either way, there is likely a subsequent move coming because the Bruins now have just six defensemen (Charlie McAvoy, Matt Grzelcyk, Hampus Lindholm, Brandon Carlo, Derek Forbort, and Kevin Shattenkirk) on their roster. It’s highly unlikely that the Bruins won’t carry an extra defenseman, but then again, they may have no choice, given that they have just $565,876 in salary cap space.

Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney signed Mitchell to a one-year, $775,000 contract on July 10. along with 22-year-old defenseman Alec Regula, was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for winger Taylor Hall and the free agent signing rights to Nick Foligno on June 26. Mitchell had a goal and seven assists in 35 NHL games with the Blackhawks last season.

The 22-year-old, six-foot, 192-pound defenseman has made it into two of the Bruins’ first six games and notched one assist. Overall, since the start of training camp, Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery, who also coached Mitchell at the University of Denver, had been praiseworthy of the slick, puck-moving rearguard. However, when Montgomery had to take a leave of absence after his Mom passed away during the preseason, interim head coach Joe Sacco was a bit more blunt about Mitchell’s deficiencies.

“We’re still a team that prides ourselves on defending really well,” Sacco said. “We take a lot of pride in that, so that’s an area that he’ll have to get up to speed as far as how we’re playing defensively.”