On Sunday, the Boston Bruins hinted at some moves that were coming when they placed veteran forward Mikey Eyssimont on waivers. When it was announced that he was going on waivers, it was for the purpose of assigning him to the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Monday morning at TD Garden, Matthew Poitras was centering the fourth line for second-year head coach Marco Sturm between Mark Kastelic and Tanner Jeannot in the pregame skate for the game against the Ottawa Senators. After practice, Sturm confirmed that Poitras, who didn't sign his contract for the upcoming season until training camp began last month at Warrior Ice Arena, is going to make his season debut after beginning the season on injured reserve.
On Monday afternoon, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported that Eyssimont cleared waivers, and that opens teh door for him to report to the AHL. This is setting up to be a strange season of depth for the Black and Gold, with a ton of veterans in Providence this season should an injury or two occur.
Bruins sending Mikey Eyssimont to Providence adds more veteran depth in the AHL
Eyssimont broke camp in Boston mainly because Poitras was on injured reserve. Eyssimont didn't play badly in the preseason games he played in, but Poitras needing to clear waivers to get to the AHL was clearly factored into the decision to place Eyssimont on waivers. General manager Don Sweeney would rather lose Eyssimont than risk putting Poitras through waivers, as he would never have made it through.
With Eyssimont joining Providence, that gives first-year head coach Trent Whitfield some older players like Alex Steeves, Henri Jokiharju, and others. In an ideal world, someone claiming Eyssimont would have been something that Sweeney could have lived with, but now he has more depth is something happens in Boston.
So far in 2026-27, Boston is injecting some youth into the lineup, more than they have in seasons past. Fraser Minten cemented his spot in the lineup last season, and James Hagens is in the lineup this season. However, Poitras was one of the wild cards going into the season, and he is getting his chance now that he's healthy. Is a fourth-line center? Probably not, but getting a look at him on the fourth line in his first game of the season to work him back from an injury is the right move to make. He likely slots in higher later in the season.
Eyssimont fell out of Sturm rotation late last season and became a healthy scratch. It wouldn't be surprising to see him back if an injury occurs, but for now, Sturm and Sweeney are sticking to a youth movement and seeing where it takes them.
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