Bruins lose AJ Greer on waivers to Calgary Flames

With the final roster decisions ahead of opening night on Wednesday looming, the Boston Bruins made some cuts on Sunday. In addition to announcing that Jesper Boqvist, Oskar Steen, and Jakub Zboril cleared waivers, the team announced that forwards AJ Greer and Patrick Brown were placed on waivers.

On Monday afternoon, it was revealed that Brown cleared waivers and was assigned to the Providence Bruins. Greer, however, did not have the same fate, as he was claimed by the Calgary Flames and will join their NHL roster ahead of the season beginning.

This is the second year of a two-year contract that Greer signed with the Bruins before last season. Calgary will be responsible for $762,500 against the cap this year, gaining some cheap help in the bottom six.

In training camp, Greer played well, but it was clear that his path to playing time was blocked by Milan Lucic. So, by being claimed by the Flames, it’s almost a reversal of roles in a way. Lucic was brought in by Boston with a similar skillset as Greer, likely to replace him in the lineup. Now, Greer is off to Calgary, bringing them a bottom six grinder that they lost when Lucic left for the Bruins.

Last season was full of career highs statistically for Greer. He had five goals and seven assists for 12 points in addition to a +9 rating in 61 regular season games, all career highs. He didn’t get into any playoff games for the Bruins in their first round loss to the Florida Panthers.

Greer became a fan favorite in Boston quickly due to his energizing play and his willingness to drop the gloves and throw some punches.  He had his issues with finishing chances and took a lot of penalties, and that led to him being jumped on the depth chart by Jakub Lauko and trade acquisition Garnet Hathaway by season’s end, leading to more healthy scratches than games played.

If he had cleared waivers and been assigned to Providence, AJ Greer likely would have been one of the first callups should it be necessary, but instead he’s joining Calgary as they look to bounce back from a disappointing season last year. It’s not a huge loss for the Bruins, as they have plenty of cheap forward depth to call upon, but it is a loss nonetheless. Good luck in Calgary, AJ.