The Nashville Predators have placed forward Cody McLeod on waivers, while the Columbus Blue Jackets have waived Nathan Gerbe as expected after signing him earlier today. The Predators will need another roster spot for Filip Forsberg when he comes off injured reserve, and only Kevin Fiala is waiver-exempt.
McLeod, 33, was acquired by the Predators last season to add some toughness and physicality to the fourth line. In 56 games with them last season including 15 playoff contests, McLeod recorded six goals and 152 hits, collecting 120 penalty minutes along the way. He’s returned on the final season of his three-year deal, recording two points in 23 games.
While McLeod does add some level of physicality, the Predators had been using him less and less recently, with his last game coming more than three weeks ago. He had played more than 10 minutes just once this season, and doesn’t seem to be a big part of the team’s plans going forward.
Interestingly though, the Colorado Avalanche are still retaining a portion of McLeod’s $1.33MM cap hit, meaning he is an extremely affordable piece for a club looking for that same physical play Nashville was after last season. If unclaimed, he would likely head to Milwaukee to play in the AHL.
Gerbe, signed out of the Swiss NLA today, requires waivers in order to be assigned to the NHL or AHL level. Usually a formality for signing players, it’s extremely unlikely that anyone would put in a claim on the diminutive forward.