The Los Angeles Kings have placed Teddy Purcell on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman.
Purcell was expected to provide solid secondary scoring for a relatively-inexpensive cap hit of $1.6MM. However, he’s struggled in his first season with the Kings, with just two assists in 12 games in addition to his poor possession stats.
Purcell may have to go elsewhere to find last season’s form; he scored 43 points in 76 games split between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers. He found good chemistry with Taylor Hall and Leon Draisaitl on the Oilers top line for much of last season before being traded at the deadline to the Panthers for a third-round pick in this past June’s entry draft.
While Purcell’s play may not warrant a waiver claim, a team may trade for him if he clears to avoid adding a contract to their 50-man limit. However, that depends on how desperate the Kings are to move on. If he is assigned to the AHL, he’ll count for $650K against the Kings cap, saving them $950K.
Pro Hockey Rumors had ranked Purcell 23rd on our list of Top 50 UFAs back in June.