Left-shot defenceman Jakub Zbořil of the Bruins has been placed on waivers, per reports from TSN and Chris Johnston of The Athletic. Given that Zbořil has been sent to AHL Providence since October 28, it is probable that the Bruins took this action in order to terminate his contract.
Whether a possible contract termination is mutual or for cause is unknown at this time. The 13th overall selection in the 2015 draft, Zbořil, was left off the field in Providence’s final game on December 9 against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
The now-famous Boston Bruins made three consecutive first-round selections in 2015, with the 26-year-old defenceman being the first. The Islanders selected Mathew Barzal (16th overall), the Jets selected Kyle Connor (17th overall), and the Senators selected Thomas Chabot (18th overall) just after they selected Zbořil, Jake DeBrusk, and Zachary Senyshyn with the 13th through 15th overall picks. DeBrusk is not as good as Barzal, Connor, or Chabot, even if he is still a top-nine forward.
Zbořil was unable to break through to the Boston roster this year, despite succeeding in 2020, 2021, and 2022. After accepting an assignment to Providence after going unclaimed on waivers in early October, he played in the AHL for the first time in more than three years, tallying seven assists and a -5 rating in 19 games.
Zbořil made his NHL debut in November 2018 and has only appeared in 76 games for the Bruins, averaging 15:38 per game and tallying one goal, 15 assists, 16 points, and 135 shots on goal. He played in a career-high 42 games in the COVID-shortened 2020–21 season, although he has never been able to perform above the role of Boston’s seventh defenseman. Although he played in 22 games for the Bruins last season and posted a Corsi share of 47.6% at even strength, which was disappointing considering the team’s record-breaking domination, his possession metrics have been essentially nonexistent.
If this is the end of the road for Zbořil in Boston, it ends a disappointing tenure for the organization’s highest-drafted prospect since they selected blueliner Dougie Hamilton ninth overall in 2011. His contract carries a $1.14M cap hit with $1.3M due this season in actual salary, making a potential claim over the next 24 hours extremely unlikely. He was slated for unrestricted free agency in the summer.
If Zbořil’s contract is actually about to expire, he can sign with any NHL, AHL, or European professional team tomorrow as an unrestricted free agent. Zbořil’s return to his native Czechia, where he last played for HC Kometa Brno in 2020 while the NHL was on hiatus because of COVID-19, would not be shocking.
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