Boston Bruins: Matt Irwin Placed On Waivers
Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
The Boston Bruins have placed defenseman Matt Irwin on waivers. Irwin was signed in the offseason for one year at a very reasonable $800,000. Unfortunately for the Bruins, Irwin has not lived up to expectation as one of the potential under-the-radar, diamond in the rough signings. Irwin has good offensive instincts and a booming shot from the blueline, but his first two games in a Bruins uniform have been horrible, at best.
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The former San Jose Shark started off his tenure in Boston on a positive note in the preseason, netting two goals in a 2-0 win over the New Jersey Devils. Unfortunately, that’s all she wrote for Irwin’s productivity in Boston up to this point. In the Bruins first game of the season against the Winnipeg Jets, Irwin finished with a minus-3 rating and often looked lost in the defensive zone. The 27 year old had a few turnovers in the game, none more costly than when Jets captain Andrew Ladd stripped him of the puck, dishing a pass out to Blake Wheeler who scored and ultimately took the last bit of energy out of the Bruins.
Undeterred after that abysmal Bruins debut, Claude Julien gave Matt Irwin a chance to play against divisional rivals, the Montreal Canadiens. The Bruins had to endure more of the same from Irwin, with him finishing the game with a minus-2 rating. Irwin once again looked lost in the defensive zone and was unable to keep up with anyone, as displayed in the video below.
Alex Galchenyuk was able to skate right past Irwin, who failed to be a factor on the play at all. Irwin was split between Alex Galchenyuk and Alexander Semin, and the result of the play was a goal for Lars Eller. The Montreal Canadiens took advantage of Matt Irwin all night and general manager Don Sweeney has clearly seen enough.
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The Matt Irwin experiment seems to be over in Boston, although he could clear waivers and remain in the Bruins system. It’s hard to totally give up on a player after two games, but Irwin was truly that bad in his opportunity so far this season. Colin Miller was able to play effectively in his first NHL game, and has clearly earned a spot over Irwin on the roster. Zach Trotman took Irwin’s place in practice today, and with Zdeno Chara expected to return soon, Matt Irwin was simply the odd-man out.
Follow Brandon Share-Cohen on Twitter @BShareCohen to discuss all things Bruins and sports