Jan. 26: Bonino has cleared waivers and can be assigned to Hartford, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Jan. 25: Peter Botte of the New York Post is reporting that the New York Rangers will be placing veteran forward Nick Bonino on waivers at 2 pm today (Eastern Standard Time). The 35-year-old did not practice with the Rangers today and it is unclear what will happen should he clear waivers tomorrow afternoon.
Bonino has not played in the AHL since the 2011-12 season and could be assigned to the Rangers AHL affiliate the Hartford Wolfpack, should he pass through waivers. Whether or not Bonino would want to report to the AHL is also unclear. Bonino is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins and is signed to a one-year contract at $800K. At this point in his career, he may not want to ride buses in the AHL to collect the remainder of his contract.
Bonino is a veteran of 868 NHL regular season games plus an additional 105 NHL playoff games. He has put a lot of hard miles on his body over the years and may opt to hang up his skates if he can’t catch on with another NHL team. Bonino also has to factor in injury concerns as he has dealt with some pretty horrific injuries in his career, including last year when he suffered a lacerated kidney while he was a member of the Penguins.
Bonino has struggled mightily this year with just a goal and four assists in 45 games. He was never the quickest skater on the ice, but he has lost considerable footspeed over the last few seasons. Any team that does acquire the veteran center will likely see him as a 13th forward and a veteran presence in the locker room.
One of my favorite Winged Beaver alumni.
Head to Tronna or Boston.
Someone should pick him up very good bottom sixer
Good on face-offs and knows how to block shots but was bringing almost nothing offensively. Rangers need some scoring in bottom six. Pitlick should be next on waivers once Chytil returns.
At age 35 scoring Isn’t his roll, And faceoffs and defense are important.
They are important but it’s not where the team is struggling at the moment so a slow 4th line center is not gonna be the difference maker that this team currently needs. If they don’t have the depth or can bring in someone who can contribute more than he has so far, that is a failure by the front office.
They are important but it’s not where the team is struggling at the moment so a slow 4th line center is not gonna be the difference maker that this team currently needs. If they don’t have the depth or can’t bring in someone who can contribute more than he has so far, that is a failure by the front office.
Don’t see how he could be worse than Acciari or Nieto and the price is right.
Honestly a good pickup for any team and definitely the pens. Acciari is a peculiar player. Some years he’s good and others he just isn’t. Too bad for the pens he isn’t this year.
He’s from Connecticut, so would be able to play in front of friends and family in Hartford.
Are the Rangers making room for Matt Rempe?
Why didn’t the Rangers sign motte instead
Because Motte wanted too much $$$. As much as I liked Motte’s skating and puck pursuit, man that guy gets crushed like an eggshell sometimes then he’s out for 3-4 weeks.