Peter Chiarelli said he put out trade feelers on Peter Schaefer prior to placing him on waivers.

But given Schaefer's salary and inconsistent play, Chiarelli wasn't able to receive proper value in return.

D Mike Egener has announced his retirement. Egener was signed to a one-year, two-way deal in the offseason.

Peter Schaefer will be available on waivers until tomorrow's noon deadline. If he remains unclaimed, which is likely, Schaefer could be assigned to Providence.

If Schaefer reports to Providence and is brought up on re-entry waivers, any team can claim the left wing at half price.

"He's been in the league for a while," said Chiarelli. "I think he knew what was coming, especially with the play of Blake Wheeler. He pretty much expected it, is what he told me."

Carl Soderberg has been officially assigned to Malmo.

With the 23 players currently on the roster and including Glen Murray's buyout hit, the Bruins have a cap number of $56,457,499.

Jeremy Reich and Nate Thompson have been placed on waivers. Matt Hunwick has been assigned to Providence.

The Bruins are down to the 23-player maximum, although Peter Chiarelli said there might be one more move.

Here is the 26-man breakdown from practice today. Defense pairings are guesses because they haven't broken out separately yet.

Twenty-six players are on the ice for practice this morning. Peter Schaefer is the only player missing.

So it looks like the rest of the cuts will take place after practice.

Blake Wheeler has survived the final round of cuts and will break camp with the big club.

Practice is scheduled to start in approximately 30 minutes.

WILMINGTON -- According to two NHL sources, Peter Schaefer will not be breaking camp with the Bruins.

No confirmation yet, but it's likely that Schaefer has been placed on waivers.

Barring a last-minute change, the Bruins will not make any roster moves today. They will take place tomorrow.

By my count, there are nine players on the bubble, with the Bruins having to make at least four cuts off their 27-man roster in time for Wednesday's 3 p.m. deadline.

Here's a look at the nine players and some of the factors the Bruins are considering:

Andrew Alberts

Why the Bruins should keep him: Big body with no reservations about using it for thumping... Good skater for a defenseman his size... Would have to clear waivers to be assigned to Providence... Not believed to have good value on the trade market.

Why the Bruins shouldn't keep him: Coming off head and neck injuries... Didn't have the best training camp... Starts thinking too much when he should be reading and reacting.

Shane Hnidy

Why the Bruins should keep him: The definition of a grizzled veteran... Doesn't take chances and is reliable in his own end... Character guy who's respected in the dressing room... Relatively inexpensive ($757,500 cap hit)... Would have to clear waivers to be assigned to Providence.

Why the Bruins shouldn't keep him: Is a third-pairing defenseman... Coming off knee surgery.

Matt Hunwick

Why the Bruins should keep him: Has NHL wheels and would probably be Boston's top skater on the blue line... Can jump up into the play when required.

Why the Bruins shouldn't keep him: Needs to get tougher in the danger areas... Still prone to occasional mistakes in own end... Would require the Bruins to either trade or assign a veteran defenseman if he were to break camp with the big club... Does not have to clear waivers to be assigned to Providence.

Petteri Nokelainen

Why the Bruins should keep him: A former first-rounder who can play a grinding game at both center and wing... Had a good camp before he was slowed by a groin injury... Has decent hands for a bottom-six forward... Would have to clear waivers to be assigned to Providence.

Why the Bruins shouldn't keep him: Is facing competition on the third and fourth lines and might be a healthy scratch in Boston.

Jeremy Reich

Why the Bruins should keep him: Fills his role of fourth-line grinder and penalty-killer well... Is as tough as they come and willing to drop gloves, even though he's not a heavyweight... Well-liked and is a good presence in the room... Carries a bargain cap number ($487,500)... Would have to clear waivers to be assigned to Providence.

Why the Bruins shouldn't keep him: Faces significant competition at his position... Might cost a younger player a crack at a big-league job if he remains in Boston.

Peter Schaefer

Why the Bruins should keep him: Showed at end of regular season and during playoffs that his along-the-wall game can be a valuable asset... Has produced in the past with Ottawa and Vancouver... Would have to clear waivers to be assigned to Providence... Not much value on the trade market.

Why the Bruins shouldn't keep him: Doesn't do the little things when he doesn't have his game... Takes up too much cap space ($2.1 million) if he's a fourth-liner or a healthy scratch.

Nate Thompson should know his fate by tomorrow at the latest. (Robert E. Klein/Globe Photo)

Vladimir Sobotka

Why the Bruins should keep him: A spunky fireball who can play both center and wing... Was used as a penalty-killer during camp... Showed last year that he's ready for NHL duties.

Why the Bruins shouldn't keep him: Might develop his game further if he starts in AHL as a top-six forward... Does not have to clear waivers to be assigned to Providence.

Nate Thompson

Why the Bruins should keep him: Does his job effectively as a fourth-line center who can also play wing... A natural skater who's not afraid to enter the danger areas... Can kill penalties and drop the gloves when necessary... Would have to clear waivers to be assigned to Providence.

Why the Bruins shouldn't keep him: Is facing significant competition on the fourth line.

Blake Wheeler

Why the Bruins should keep him: Has been one of the team's best forwards in camp... Brings size and skill and can help the Bruins with his offense... Can play both wings.

Why the Bruins shouldn't keep him: His game wouldn't suffer if he started his pro career in the AHL... Does not have to clear waivers to be assigned to Providence... Carries a significant cap hit ($2.825 million).

The Bruins closed out a jam-packed preseason yesterday that saw them skate in four states, two provinces, and one district. Final cuts or possible trades will take place either today or tomorrow in advance of Wednesday's 3 p.m. roster-setting deadline.

Some observations:

* A lot of camp talk has centered on Blake Wheeler. Rightfully so. Wheeler wasn't just the most impressive rookie in camp, but one of the team's best forwards. Part of the reason for the chatter is because Wheeler was expected to require AHL development. But based on his camp, he's ready to play in the NHL. More importantly, the Bruins need his help to start a season that kicks off with four road games.

* One of the biggest question marks heading into camp was Manny Fernandez. Was his knee sound? Would his back hold up under the strain? Could he reclaim his game after more than a year removed from healthy NHL play? Fernandez isn't in midseason form yet, clearly. But he's trending in the right direction and not looking like the wreck he was in 2007-08.

Manny Fernandez has come a long way since the preseason opener. (Getty Images)

* With Fernandez and Tim Thomas in their contract years, it's highly unlikely the Bruins would re-sign both goalies or let them both walk. So the guess here is that they re-sign one of the goalies, trade the other, and promote Tuukka Rask, who proved in camp that he's ready to play with the big boys.

* Veterans who had disappointing camps include Andrew Alberts, Marc Savard, and Peter Schaefer. One factor in Alberts's struggles may have been his long layoff after suffering head and neck injuries last season. Savard should be fine come the regular season. Schaefer, though, was on the bubble heading into camp. He was slowed by a hip injury, but he didn't help himself with his so-so play.

* Interesting to watch the once-conservative defensemen pinch, join the rush, and jump up in the play throughout camp. Claude Julien said he'd relax his leash on the D-men this year. Mark Stuart was especially aggressive, showing he can barrel into the rush but also recover when necessary.

* Put Matt Lashoff in the disappointing category. Lashoff only turned 22 last month, so perhaps he needs more time to develop. But considering all the skills he brings to his game, it's puzzling why he can't play with confidence.

* After Ottawa's win in Stockholm yesterday, favorite son Daniel Alfredsson threw pieces of equipment into the crowd.

Didn't know Alfie was auditioning for Slapshot. Da, da, da da da...

* Two games into the season, Barry Melrose is already ripping his star players.

They better get used to this.

* The Avalanche are optimistic after completing a 4-1-1 preseason.

Ryan Smyth, Paul Stastny, Milan Hejduk -- as nasty a line as you'll see.

For the first time this preseason, the Bruins went to the shootout. Phil Kessel and Patrice Bergeron, Boston's first two shooters, beat Jose Theodore five-hole with forehand shots.

At the other end, Manny Fernandez allowed a goal to No. 2 shooter Alex Ovechkin, but snuffed out Michael Nylander and Alexander Semin to give the Bruins the two points.

"Tonight was a good situation where I had to battle through," Fernandez said. "My team kept putting me back in the game, so that gave me a little more adrenaline and something to look forward to. I liked the outcome."

* David Krejci, who scored two goals, said he felt fine in only his third preseason game. Krejci had been slowed by groin and hip flexor discomfort. Krejci centered the third line and was on the No. 2 power-play unit. "Just tried to go out there and get back on track," said Krejci.

* Yet another solid game from Blake Wheeler, who played left wing on Krejci's line. On Krejci's first goal, Wheeler hunted down a dump-in along the left-side wall, protected the puck from Mike Green, and dished it to Krejci for a snap shot from the slot. "He really made the play," Wheeler said. "I just threw it over to him and he had a great one-on-one battle that he won." Despite Wheeler's cap hit, it's likely he'll break camp with the big boys.

* Andrew Alberts had a rough first 40 minutes. In the second period, he lost an edge and committed a giveaway that led to an Ovechkin goal. But Julien was encouraged that Alberts recovered in the third period and overtime. "What I liked about that is that he came back, redeemed himself, and played a pretty solid third," Julien said. "Those are things that I look at. There are mistakes made. But when you see a player being mentally strong, getting refocused, and do those kinds of things, that's what I like."

* The Bruins concluded the preseason with a 3-4-1 record. "Overall, I think it was a tough training camp," Julien said. "The travel that we had to do, the amount of games in a short period of time. Even when we were at home, we had a lot on our plate. Guys never really got a chance to rest. We're really feeling the effects of this training camp. The fatigue factor has certainly set itself in." With that in mind, the Bruins have tomorrow off and will resume practice on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at Ristuccia Arena.

STICK SALUTE: Kessel. Yet again, Kessel potted a shootout goal. But he also saw 1:34 of ice time on the penalty kill, indicating he might be due for PK duties during the regular season.

SIN BIN: Peter Schaefer. The left wing is on the bubble because of his inconsistent play and $2.1 million cap hit. Schaefer, playing alongside Marc Savard and Michael Ryder, had zero shots, zero hits, and zero takeaways in 12:49 of ice time.

Blake Wheeler is on the bench to start the third period.

Shawn Thornton gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead at 3:07 when Jose Theodore couldn't handle his bad-angle sweep shot.

But the Capitals tied the game with 64 ticks remaining in the second period. Andrew Alberts, starting the breakout, lost an edge and coughed up the puck to Alexander Semin. The Washington forward dished the puck to Alex Ovechkin, who rapped a one-timer past a helpless Manny Fernandez at 18:56.

* Blake Wheeler was shaken up with approximately two minutes remaining. After an open-ice collision, Wheeler lost his stick and was slow to get to the bench. Wheeler stayed on the bench for the rest of the period.

* Claude Julien has given Phil Kessel a good look on the penalty kill. Kessel has now been on the ice for two Washington power plays through the first two periods, totaling 1:34 of PK TOI. Last season, Kessel averaged four seconds of PK time per game.

* For several shifts, Julien flip-flopped Kessel and Michael Ryder. Ryder had a good scoring chance when he snapped a wrister from the slot that Theodore stopped with his blocker.

* A bad clearing pass by Zdeno Chara led to a scoring chance by Brooks Laich. Wheeler was forced to take a holding penalty to slow down Laich at 9:54.

Blake Wheeler set up Boston's only goal in the first period. Wheeler, playing left wing on the third line, won the puck in the offensive zone, then used his frame to keep Mike Green from taking it back. With his back to the net, Wheeler dished to David Krejci in the middle, and the center snapped a shot past Jose Theodore at 14:30.

Wheeler has one goal and three assists in six preseason games.

* The Capitals scored their lone goal when Manny Fernandez couldn't find the rebound of a Milan Jurcina one-timer. With Fernandez looking for the puck, Chris Clark pounced on the rubber and tucked it behind the goalie at 2:01.

* Andrew Alberts struggled in the first period. On one play in the offensive zone, Alberts pinched at the blue line and missed the puck, allowing Sergei Fedorov to break the other way for a scoring chance. Later in the period, Alberts had to retrieve the puck, but slowed as he approached it. That gave a forechecking Eric Fehr time to close on Alberts and force a turnover.

* Jose Theodore will start in goal for the Capitals.

Patrice Bergeron and Andrew Ference will be the alternate captains today.

Marc Savard, who wore the "A" for 51 regular-season games last season, didn't wear it during the preseason.