On Sunday afternoon, the waiver news broke as the Boston Bruins placed forward Craig Smith on waivers. There have been rumors circling Boston since the return of injured players that a trade was needed. Craig Smith, Mike Reilly, and others have been mentioned as options for a salary dump trade.
In the short term, if Smith were to clear waivers, he would likely be assigned to Providence of the AHL. It is worth noting that Fabian Lysell is on loan for World Juniors right now. This would give Smith the opportunity to play top-six minutes in the AHL to help build some confidence back in his game. This would create a small amount of cap space for the Bruins but also make a trade more likely. When a player clears waivers, the acquiring team can send Smith directly to the AHL without having to clear waivers again. This could be a big bonus for a team juggling the salary cap but would like to add Smith for the playoffs.
Smith is in the final year of his contract holding an AAV of $3.1m. The problem this year for Smith is production. He has played in 17 games and only has 4 points. Whether it is a stint in Providence to work on his game or a trade, this will not be his last stop in the NHL. This will be a prime opportunity for a team to pick up a player on an expiring deal and trade him at the deadline.
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