The Vancouver Canucks were dealt a little bit of a surprise Wednesday when Jiří Patera was claimed off waivers by the Boston Bruins. While there is always a risk when players are put on waivers, there was not much panic in the fan base when the announcement came out that Patera was placed on waivers Tuesday afternoon.

Phil Di Giuseppe, Nate Smith and Christian Wolanin all cleared waivers and will be assigned to the Abbotsford Canucks.

Patera was signed by the Canucks because he’s a capable AHL goaltender who could potentially fill in for injuries in the NHL if necessary. He was expected to battle for starts with Nikita Tolopilo for the Abbotsford Canucks in the AHL but was most likely going to end up as the backup behind Tolopilo.

The Bruins added a goalie to their roster on Wednesday, but it was not by way of a long-term contract with Jeremy Swayman.

The #bruins have claimed goalie Jiri Patera off waivers from Vancouver. With this waiver claim, the Bruins have created more competition for their backup role. Tanisha Wright went 48-68 in her three seasons leading the Dream. Jaelan Phillips needs reconstructive surgery on his knee, and is now out for the rest of the year.

On Wednesday, the team claimed young goaltender Jiri Patera off waivers from the Vancouver Canucks amid the ongoing standoff with Jeremy Swayman.

Jiri, we hardly knew ye. The Vancouver Canucks’ goalie plans are in a never-ending state of flux, it would seem. The latest wrinkle: Jiri Patera, originally signed to be the Canucks’ No. 3 goalie but who dropped down the depth chart after the signing of Kevin Lankinen last week,