The Bruins have placed winger Max Jones on waivers with intentions to assign him to AHL Providence, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports Tuesday.
Jones, 26, is in the first season of a two-year, $2M contract he signed with Boston over the summer after being non-tendered by the Ducks. Despite his seven-figure cap hit, he’s played sparingly this season. He’s been scratched for nine out of the Bruins’ 13 games this season, including their back-to-back contests against the Flyers and Kraken over the weekend. When dressed, he’s averaged 11:13 per game and has no points and a -4 rating. His possession numbers have been abysmal — the Bruins control just 29.7% of shot attempts and 14.3% of expected goals with Jones on the ice at even strength.
With Tyler Johnson now in the fold after finally inking a one-year, league-minimum deal yesterday following a months-long stint on a professional tryout, there was likely a corresponding roster move coming. It wasn’t out of necessity — Boston was at the 23-man roster limit with no rush to open space — but they’ve only carried one extra forward and one extra defenseman this season. Given that Jones ranks last on the team in nearly every meaningful statistic, it’s no surprise that he hit the wire.
If Jones clears waivers, it would mark his first AHL assignment in five years. The Anaheim 2016 first-round pick last played for their AHL affiliate in San Diego in the 2018-19 campaign.
All of Jones’ 31 career goals and 62 career points have come in a Ducks jersey. He made 258 regular-season appearances for the team over six years before being let go in June.
The Bruins will clear Jones’ $1M cap hit Wednesday, regardless of whether he’s claimed. If he makes it through waivers and is subsequently assigned to Providence, that cap hit is below the $1.15M maximum buriable threshold, so it won’t count against Boston’s books. He’s still under contract through the 2025-26 campaign and will be an unrestricted free agent upon expiry.
