Ottawa Senators Claim Magnus Paajarvi

The Ottawa Senators have claimed Magnus Paajarvi off waivers from the St. Louis Blues. The 26-year old forward was always a good candidate to be claimed, and he’ll now try to take the next step in his career in the Canadian capital.

With Jaden Schwartz returning from injury for the Blues, the team had to free up a roster spot and Paajarvi drew the short straw. The bottom-six forward played in 44 games for the Blues this season, recording just four points. That stat line isn’t out of the ordinary for Paajarvi, who came into the league with impressive offensive potential but has registered just 97 points through 352 games. Expected to be a force around the net and able to beat defensemen one-on-one with his speed, Paajarvi  instead settled into a defensive and energy role first in Edmonton and then St. Louis.

He’s never shown much creativity in the offensive zone, but for Ottawa a claim of Paajarvi gives them another lottery ticket down the stretch. As we’ve seen first hand in Vegas this season, sometimes a change of scenery can spark a new level of production in players, something Ottawa will certainly hope for. The Senators are for all intents and purposes out of the playoff race already, and can afford to give some playing time to a former top draft selection.

Earning just $800K this season, Paajarvi is actually scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer. While he’ll certainly draw some interest from around the league as a depth player, a good second half could secure him even more. The Senators, expected to be sellers at the deadline, pick up a free asset that they could even flip if his production improves at all, or at least use him to fill in the gaps by any outgoing forwards.