Bruins place former 2015 first-round pick on waivers

The Bruins are moving on from the first player they selected in the infamous 2015 NHL Draft.

Boston placed Jakub Zboril on waivers Wednesday, with the 26-year-old defenseman looking to secure a fresh start elsewhere after his time with the Bruins ran its course.

According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, the Bruins placed Zboril on waivers in order to accommodate his request to see if another NHL team wants to give him an opportunity.

Seravalli adds that Zboril’s contract is not being terminated, nor is the blueliner looking to play in Europe.

Teams have until 2 p.m. on Thursday to claim Zboril on waivers, with the skater in the last year of a contract worth $1.137 million against the cap.

Zboril was the first of three consecutive picks that Boston made in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft, with the Bruins selecting the Czech native with the 13th overall selection. The Bruins then took Jake DeBrusk with the 14th pick and fellow forward Zach Senyshyn with the 15th pick.

While DeBrusk has established himself as a regular in Boston’s top-six grouping, both Zboril and Senyshyn spent most of their tenures with the Bruins down in the AHL.

Noteworthy players selected after Boston’s trio of picks include Mathew Barzal (Pick 16), Kyle Connor (Pick 17), Thomas Chabot (Pick 18), Joel Eriksson Ek (Pick 20), Brock Boeser (Pick 23), Travis Knoecny (Pick 24), and Sebastian Aho (Pick 35).

Zboril did not appear in a game with Boston this season, with his reserve role in Boston supplanted by Ian Mitchell. Zboril appeared in 19 games with Providence in 2023-24, recording seven assists.

But with Mason Lohrei leapfrogging Zboril as the next man up on defense this season, the writing was on the wall that Zboril’s tenure in Boston was coming to a close.

In 76 career games with Boston, Zboril scored a goal, added 15 assists, and averaged 15:38 of ice time per game.