Friday: Read has cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the AHL. 2
Thursday: According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, the Minnesota Wild have placed Matt Read on waivers, as he had finally worn out his exempt status by playing in ten games. Read cleared waivers before the season began and had been used as an insurance policy for the Wild, bouncing up and down between the AHL and NHL all season. Zach Parise is back at practice today for the Wild, meaning Read could be on his way back to the AHL should he clear waivers tomorrow.
It seems unlikely that anyone would claim Read at this point, given that he becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. The 32-year old forward was once a pretty effective member of the Philadelphia Flyers offensive attack, but will likely be limited to spot duty and minor league action for the rest of his playing career. In the AHL this season he has 34 points in 55 games, but that has only translated to a single goal during his ten games for Minnesota.
Read is AHL playoff eligible though, and with the Wild heading to the Calder Cup playoffs in a few weeks his presence will be greatly appreciated. Since moving to Iowa for the 2013-14 season and re-branding as the Wild, the team has not made a single appearance in the AHL playoffs. That’s all set to change this season under head coach Tim Army, who has led the group to a 34-22-12 record through their first 68 games. Iowa has a seven point cushion in the Central Division, but could still potentially catch the Grand Rapids Griffins or Chicago Wolves for an even better seed.