Zach Hamill showed flashes of his first round potential early in his most recent stint with the Bruins, but it obviously didnt last as the Bs placed the forward on re-entry waivers Monday.
A source confirmed to CSNNE.com that Hamill was placed on waivers at noon on Monday after it was first reported by TSN's Bob McKenzie. Hamill can be claimed by any team before noon tomorrow, and the claiming team would assume the rest of Hamills 1,316,667 annual cap hit.
The aim is to send the 23-year-old Hamill back to the Providence Bruins in the AHL, but hell have to pass by the other 29 NHL teams after playing more than 10 games andor 30 days with the Bs during his longest stint in Boston.
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There is some question as to whether the former 2007 top-10 first round pick will get through waivers given his relative young age and affordable price tag, but his time in Boston had run its course. Hamill was originally called up to the Bruins when Rich Peverley was fighting injuries, and had points in two of his first three games in Boston this season.
But Hamill had gone 13 games without a point through the two months of January and February, and appeared to have a difficult time gathering the NHL strength to survive in the NHL. Perhaps the perfect example of this occurred in last weekends loss to the Penguins when Hamill was in the exact perfect spot to pounce on a rebound in the third period of a one-goal game.
But Hamill was buried by Tyler Kennedy right in front of the Pittsburgh net before he could even squeeze a shot off against Marc-Andre Fleury. Some might have screamed out interference or for some other soft-hearted penalty on the play.
But its more than likely the Bruins evaluators saw that as a hockey player unable to stand in and make a play when things got nasty in front of the net. Thats unacceptable on a team that plays physical, in-your-face hockey in the style embraced by the Bruins, and its something the 5-foot-11, 173-pound Hamill needs to improve at if he hopes to win a full-time NHL gig. The newly recalled Jordan Caron will take over as the spare forward for the Bruins moving forward.