JUST IN: Bruins place prominent denfenseman on waive wire

The Boston Bruins have placed defenseman on waivers with the intention of assigning him to the AHL, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Mitchell started the season on Boston’s injured non-roster list and is now heading to the minors after recovering.

Mitchell joined the Bruins in a 2023 trade, along with Alec Regula, in exchange for sending Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno to the Chicago Blackhawks. Prior to the move, Mitchell had 82 games and 16 points of NHL experience with Chicago. His first season with the Bruins was split between the NHL and AHL, where he appeared in 13 games for Boston, recording two points. He was one of several minor-league defenders brought into the lineup during Boston’s injury struggles, but he had better success in the AHL. With the Providence Bruins, Mitchell scored six goals and 24 points in 42 games, falling just short of his career-high 35 points from 57 games with Rockford in 2021-22.

Drafted in the second round of the 2017 NHL Draft, Mitchell had an impressive college career at the University of Denver, where he tallied 89 points in 116 games as a key player on the blue line. While he hasn’t matched that level of production in the pros yet, he may see an expanded role with Providence this season, especially following Mason Lohrei’s promotion to a full-time NHL position.