BOSTON – The Bruins announced on Monday afternoon that defenseman Matt Irwin has cleared waivers, and will report to the Providence Bruins. The veteran defenseman had a rough experience in his first two games in Boston, and finished a minus-5 in Boston’s two losses while experiencing some major difficulties in the defensive zone.
It’s a little surprising that NHL teams with needs along their D-corps took a pass on the experienced Irwin, but there wasn’t much for any scouting eyes on him to like about his first two games this season in Boston. Irwin had a couple of turnovers that led directly to opponent goals, and looked adrift at sea in the defensive zone during his two games played.
With Irwin’s move off the Bruins NHL roster, the B’s now have the open spot they need to take Zdeno Chara off the injured reserve without impacting their situation with the forward group. The former UMass D-man skated in 53 games for the San Jose Sharks in 2014-15, registering eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points with a plus-three rating while building up a good offensive reputation. In three seasons with San Jose, Irwin played in 153 games, scored 16 and 34 assisted for 50 points along with 63 penalty minutes. The blueliner has 13 games of NHL postseason experience as well, playing 11 games in the 2013 playoffs and two games in the 2014 playoffs, where he has produced one goal and one assist in his limited experience.