When the Boston Bruins placed former first-round pick John Beecher on waivers, it was a surprising move considering all the injuries that are piling up. The Bruins have Elias Lindholm on injured reserve, and then on Monday added Casey Mittlestadt and Viktor Arvidsson, also on injured reserve.
Placing Beecher on waivers for the purpose of assignment to the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL), but he never made it there. He was claimed off waivers by the Calgary Flames, who are looking to give him a fresh start.
After being picked up by the Flames, Beecher made his way to Western New York to meet his new team in Buffalo for their game on Wednesday night against the Sabres. He took time to talk to join Pat Steinberg on the Flames Talk podcast and discussed his time in Boston.
John Beecher discusses time spent with the Bruins
As expected, Beecher was complimentary of the Bruins for picking him and allowing him to reach the NHL, and truly thankful for his time there, but he was also looking forward to his new chapter with Calgary.
Checking in with John in Buffalo!
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) November 19, 2025
The Elmira, NY product make his #Flames debut this evening with his parents and brother in attendance ❤️ pic.twitter.com/3cSBLM7n2L
"I'm going to set my roots here and grab onto a role,'' said Beecher. "At the end of the day, I think this is what's best for me and my career moving forward, and I'm excited.''
Beecher is someone who fell into the doghouse, if you will, with new Boston coach Marco Sturm, who spoke about his former bottom-six forward and the opportunity he gave him. It just never worked out the way Sturm had hoped.
“For me, as a coach, I gave him an opportunity,” said Sturm. “Quite frankly, I thought he’d be better, more effective. At some point, you have to make a decision on how to move forward.”
When it was announced that the Bruins were bringing Beecher back, it came as somewhat of a surprise right before free agency began. What made it even more head-scratching was the other additions that were made to fill out the bottom six. It seemed like it was a log jam, and someone was going to be the odd man out.
That ended up being Beecher, who will make his Flames debut in Buffalo, and maybe placing him on waivers and being claimed by Calgary was best for both sides.