The team with the worst record in the NHL – and thus first in line on the waiver wire – claimed now former Bruins’ center/wing John Beecher off waivers on Tuesday.

And fortunately for Beecher, he was indeed claimed. If he passed and had been assigned to Providence, it didn’t sound like he would have been coming back to Boston any time soon. The 2019 first round pick (30th overall) did not leave Boston with the most glowing of recommendations.

Asked what the main reasons were for waiver designation, coach Marco Sturm didn’t really hold back.

“This is something we touched on for a while, (before) my time, that’s for sure. And for me as a new coach, I gave him a new opportunity and, quite frankly, I thought he’d be a little better, a little more effective. I thought he wasn’t and, at some point, we have to make a decision on how to move forward,” said Sturm on Tuesday before Beecher clearer.

Sturm was asked if consistency was the main issue with Beecher.

“Yeah, ,consistency, effort,” said Sturm. “I know it’s not easy being in and out of the lineup but I have guys just waiting for this moment. At the end of the day, it’s always up to the player. I wanted to (give him) a new voice, a fresh set of eyes. I really didn’t care about his past. So it was up to him. That’s how I see it. Not just with him but any other player. For some reason, it just didn’t work out.”

In 136 games, the 24-year-old Beecher had 11-11-22 totals. He was signed last summer to a one-year show-me contract worth $900,000 per season. He was on the bubble at the end of an up-and-down training camp, but his size, speed, ability to kill penalties and faceoff acumen tipped the scales in his favor and he was kept on the roster.

While it was ultimately GM Don Sweeney’s decision to put his former first rounder on waivers, Sturm made his feelings pretty clear. The B’s needed another roster spot for a defenseman to be called up with the injured Charlie McAvoy (there was no definitive update yet) unavailable for at least this four-game road trip that starts on Wednesday in Anaheim, and Beecher was the odd man out.

It is debatable whether rough-and-tumble forward Jeffrey Viel would have made it through waivers. He’s not a center, nor a penalty killer. But the B’s essentially doubled down on identity, choosing the straight-line, hard-nosed wing over the a player who has in theory more tools but hasn’t been able to bring it every night.