Zach Hamill Put On Waivers By The Bruins

Today the Bruins placed forward Zach Hamill on waivers. If he clears them, he will be sent back down to the Providence Bruins.

This move was totally expected if you pay attention to the B's on a daily basis. Hamill played a season-low 8:19 in Saturday's 2-1 loss to Pittsburgh and then he was a healthy scratch yesterday in Washington, D.C. Jordan Caron had been recalled from Providence and he had basically taken Hamill's place, at least until Nathan Horton returns from his latest concussion.

I'd like to say that Hamill is close to making a real impact in the NHL but I just don't see it, so far. In 16 games with Boston this season, he has 0 goals, 2 assists and he's +3 with 13 shots on goal. It's pretty tough to play that many games with this team and have offensive numbers that are so low.

He's still only 23 but the clock is ticking on Boston's first-round pick from 2007 (8th overall). Hamill is small (5-11, 173 pounds) so he isn't particularly strong on the puck and he doesn't seem to fit the Bruins mold of a physical, tough player. Sure he has skills but he'll never see the ice under Claude Julien if he can't be more responsible in his own end, not to mention have the ability to play on the penalty kill and power play.

All we can do is hope that with more playing time in Providence, against competition that's more on his level, he can excel and therefore build his confidence back up. I'm guessing it's not too high at the moment. It's not time to give up on Zach Hamill but right now, Boston just doesn't have any use for him.

It wouldn't shock me at all if he gets dealt at the trade deadline (February 27). Perhaps a change of scenery would do him some good; he would be better suited for an uptempo offensive style that's less reliant on throwing checks. Plus, he wouldn't feel the pressure that he no doubt is under with the team that drafted him. Something to keep in mind as the trade deadline approaches, maybe Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli can flip Hamill for somebody Boston needs more.

UPDATE 2/7: Hamill cleared waivers (nobody in the NHL claimed him) so he'll go to Providence.

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