1/26/24 | Bonino has been sent to Hartford after clearing waivers.
1/25/24 | Nick Bonino has been placed on waivers. (Friedman)
Filip Chytil skated today in a non-contact jersey. (Staple)
At practice this morning, Blake Wheeler was skating with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider and Kaapo Kakko was on a line with Jonny Brodzinski and Will Cuylle. (Staple)
Erik Gustafsson was skating with Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren was skating with Braden Schneider. (Staple)
Adam Rotter: Being put on waivers, unless he’s claimed, doesn’t mean the end for Bonino and the Rangers. Clearing waivers, if he does, just gives the team flexibility and the ability to put him in Hartford. I think it’s possible that Bonino gets claimed, most likely from a team at the bottom of the standings that is looking to add a cheap veteran. If he does get claimed then his biggest contribution to the Rangers will probably be teaching the centers to flip their sticks to the other side during certain faceoffs. He was signed to be a veteran fourth liner but he has spent a lot of the season centering the third line in Filip Chytil’s absence. Chytil being back in NY and being on the ice, even in a non-contact jersey, with the team likely means that he could be close to returning and that also likely takes Bonino out of the lineup. Jonny Brodzinski and Tyler Pitlick would be other potential options to come out and be placed on waivers, but Peter Laviolette likes Brodzinski and Pitlick has been effective at times on a fourth line with Barclay Goodrow and Jimmy Vesey. I think that Bonino, if he isn’t claimed, could still have a role as the 13th forward, but he’s been struggling in the bigger role that he had.
I thought that the Rangers would keep Kakko up with Zibanejad and Kreider for an extended look to see if he could fill that spot on the top line, but it seems more than likely that they are going to pair him up with Filip Chytil when Chytil returns. I think that that makes some sense as Chytil and Kaako have played a lot of the prior two years together and it gives the third line a better look, with Will Cuylle, than having Wheeler there. Wheeler then gets moved up to the top line to see again if he can make some chemistry with Zibanejad and Kreider. Wheeler as a playmaker would seem to fit those two, but nothing has seemed to work consistently with Zibanejad and Kreider this season at even strength. That sure looks like the spot that Chris Drury will look to upgrade at the deadline and that could leave Wheeler out if everyone is healthy.