As we get ready for the final few days before the March 1st trade deadline, the Minnesota Wild have waived several players according to Renaud Levoie of TVA Sports. Today they placed Zac Dalpe, Teemu Pulkkinen and the newly signed Ryan Carter on waivers. Florida also placed forward Greg McKegg on waivers, after 31 fairly ineffective games this season.
Dalpe is on his way to Minnesota after returning from a meniscus injury suffered earlier this year, and has been placed on waivers to reset his clock as Michael Russo of the Star Tribune explains. The 27-year old forward is a former second round pick that has never quite found his way in the NHL despite performing well in the minor leagues. Recalled mostly as insurance for the next three games, he’ll provide some center depth over the next few days.
Russo also opines that Pulkkinen was placed on waivers as a type of memo to the league that he is available, though after playing just nine games in the NHL the league probably already knew that. The elite AHL scorer has never been able to make an impact at the NHL, mostly because of his skating ability. That quarter-step behind that is the difference between the two leagues often puts Pulkkinen behind the play, though he has been given very few chances to adapt, shuffled between the two leagues often throughout his career. Perhaps a rebuilding team will take a look at him before the deadline and let him play the rest of the season in the NHL to try and make the adjustments necessary.
McKegg has been a disappointment since being acquired for Zach Hyman in 2015. While the Maple Leafs have installed Hyman on their top line riding shotgun with Auston Matthews, the Panthers have been less enthralled with their player, giving him very little icetime and even sending him to the minors at times. The Leafs also received a seventh-round pick in that trade, making it even more painful for Panthers fans every time they see Hyman’s name on a scoresheet. McKegg will likely have to find his game again at the AHL level before getting another shot with the NHL club.