The Bruins found a clean solution to a roster problem that could have cost them more than they wanted.
Boston put forward Mikey Eyssimont on waivers Sunday as it made room to activate Matthew Poitras from injured reserve, and Eyssimont passed through unclaimed. That allowed the Bruins to send him to Providence without losing an NHL-caliber depth piece for nothing.
It was the kind of move that doesn’t make noise the way a trade or signing does, but it may end up paying off later in the season.
Eyssimont arrived in Boston on a one-year deal during the offseason after playing 77 games for the Seattle Kraken last year. He posted 13 goals and 11 assists while bringing the kind of pace, edge and physical presence that can matter over the grind of an 82-game schedule. But once Poitras was ready to return, the Bruins had a squeeze on their hands, and Eyssimont became the player they were willing to expose.
He cleared, and Boston kept its depth intact.
That matters because Eyssimont is no throwaway call-up type. He has played more than 300 NHL games, and now he’ll report to Providence with the Bruins still holding his rights if they need him later. With injuries and performance issues almost guaranteed to pop up at some point, that insurance could become important.
Poitras, meanwhile, got the opening he was waiting for. He made his season debut Monday against the Ottawa Senators and skated 11:28 on Boston’s fourth line with Tanner Jeannot and Mark Kastelic. He also finished plus-1 in the Bruins’ 4-1 loss.
The return wasn’t flashy, but Boston wasn’t looking for fireworks. It wanted the 22-year-old back in NHL games after he spent most of last season in Providence, where he put up 44 points in 69 games.
Now he gets another chance to show he belongs in the regular lineup.
The Bruins, though, have bigger headaches after back-to-back losses. Their power play still hasn’t scored this season, and Monday’s loss in Ottawa prompted Nikita Zadorov to say the club needs to rediscover its identity.
That will grab the headlines. But quietly, Boston handled a tricky roster call without losing a useful player, and that could matter down the line.
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