Friday: Both players have cleared waivers, meaning Bournival can be sent to the Crunch, and Sandberg will see his contract terminated.
Thursday: The Tampa Bay Lightning have placed Michael Bournival on waivers according to CapFriendly, meaning the forward is likely healthy enough to resume playing after starting the year on season-opening injured reserve. Bournival played just five games for the Lightning last season and was always expected to spend much of the year in the minor leagues. The San Jose Sharks have also placed Filip Sandberg on unconditional waivers for purpose of a mutual contract termination, something we’ve seen more and more of this season.
Bournival, 26, has bounced around the league since being selected by the Colorado Avalanche in 2010. Traded to the Montreal Canadiens just a few months after he was drafted, he actually played 60 games in the NHL during the 2013-14 season and recorded 14 points before suiting up again for the team in the postseason. That would be the most NHL ice time he’d see though, as Bournival has played just 53 more NHL games since. Still, he’s developed into a quality minor league player for the Syracuse Crunch and scored 34 points in 57 games last season. Should he clear, he’ll likely bounce up and down for the Lightning as an extra forward capable of filling in for injury.
Sandberg meanwhile will likely return to Sweden where he was signed from in 2017, and continue his playing career in the SHL. The undersized forward never did make it to the NHL, instead playing just 55 games total at the AHL level. His contract will come off the books for the Sharks, and he’ll become an unrestricted free agent.