On Thursday morning, the New York Rangers placed forward Nick Bonino on waivers. He didn’t practice with the team and is expected to be assigned to the American Hockey League (AHL) if he clears.
Following a loss to the San Jose Sharks, the Rangers received some positive news about forward Filip Chytil, who has missed the last little while with an injury. He has returned to the ice and is skating with his teammates, and while he is only in a non-contact jersey, it’s good news for them. With his return imminent, combined with the team not playing too well as of late, the Rangers decided it was the right time to make some changes to their lineup.
Bonino, who is 35 years old, is in his first season with the Rangers after signing a one-year contract worth $800,000. In 45 games this season, Bonino has scored one goal and added four assists for five points. Throughout his career, he has scored 159 goals, adding 199 assists for 358 points through 868 games, which comes out to a 0.41 points-per-game average.
“He met with Chris Drury this morning… It’s the decision that was made… I’ve worked with Nick for a quite a few years going back to Nashville. I can’t speak enough about him as a person. He’s just a good guy, a good teammate. It’s a tough day.”
– Peter Laviolette Thursday Morning (Talking About Bonino)
The Rangers are taking a massive risk, allowing him to go on waivers. There will definitely be several teams interested in his services, and could claim him tomorrow. A veteran bottom-six forward, who is known to be a solid performer in the postseason is someone plenty of teams could try to add to their lineup, and with Bonino’s affordable contract, it would be shocking if he makes it through without any of the other 31 teams making a claim.
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