Bruins surprisingly put a former first-round draft pick on Waivers

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Daniel Lucente
November 5, 2024 (4:17 PM)

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The Boston Bruins have abruptly and shockingly placed Max Jones, a former first-round NHL draft pick on waivers today, as the team continues to retool.

According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman on Tuesday, the Bruins have placed winger Max Jones on waivers with plans to assign him to AHL Providence.

After being non-tendered by the Ducks, Jones, 26, signed a two-year, $2M contract with Boston over the summer. He is currently in the first season of that deal. He hasn't played much this season, even though his cap cost is in the seven figures. Nine of the Bruins' 13 games this season, including their back-to-back games against the Flyers and Kraken this weekend, have seen him scratched. He has no points, a -4 rating, and an average of 11:13 per game when dressed. With Jones on the ice at even strength, the Bruins only control 29.7% of shot attempts and 14.3% of anticipated goals, which is a pitiful display of possession metrics.

There was probably going to be a matching roster move as Tyler Johnson, who spent months on a professional tryout, ultimately signed a one-year, league-minimum contract yesterday. Boston only carried one extra forward and one extra defenseman this season, so it wasn't necessary, they were at the 23-man roster limit and weren't in a rush to make room. Jones hit the wire, which is not surprising considering that he is last on the team in almost all significant statistics.

Jones would be assigned to the AHL for the first time in five years if waivers are approved. The 2018-19 season was the last time the Anaheim 2016 first-round pick played for their AHL affiliate in San Diego.

Jones has scored 62 points and has 31 goals in his career while wearing a Ducks jersey. Before being let go by them in June, he played for the team for six years, totaling 258 regular-season games.

Regardless of whether Max Jones is claimed or not, the Bruins will pay out his $1 million cap hit tomorrow. Boston's books won't be impacted if he passes waivers and is later moved to Providence because the cap hit is less than the $1.15M maximum level. His contract is still in effect through the 2025-2026 season, after which he will become an unrestricted free agent.