Tyler Ennis, Greg Pateryn Clear Waivers

Jan 26: Ennis has cleared waivers according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic adds that Pateryn also cleared.

Jan 25: The Edmonton Oilers have placed Tyler Ennis on waivers, following another scoreless outing last night in which he played just over six minutes. Ennis has yet to register a point on the season. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet also reports that Greg Pateryn of the Colorado Avalanche has been placed on waivers.

Ennis, 31, signed a one-year deal in the offseason to remain with the Oilers after fitting in quite nicely down the stretch last season. In nine regular season games following a trade from the Ottawa Senators, the undersized forward scored four points. In the postseason he was also effective, scoring two points in three qualification games. This season, however, he’s been pushed further and further down the lineup, playing in just four of the team’s seven games and registering just two shots on goal.

Pateryn meanwhile was only acquired by the Avalanche a few days ago, in a cap-clearing move with the Minnesota Wild. He’s played three games since then, but it’s easy to see why the team has decided to put him on waivers. Not only will his $2.25MM salary likely keep him free from claim, but the team has already gained full confidence in youngster Bowen Byram and because of it have too many defensemen. Moving Pateryn to the taxi squad would save cap space while still allowing him to move into the lineup whenever needed.

While Pateryn may be a tough claim, Ennis could draw some interest from around the league. Already speculation has erupted out of Toronto, where the Maple Leafs are looking for a forward addition. Toronto has an obvious connection to Ennis, having spent the 2018-19 season together, one that rejuvenated his career after multiple injuries. Still, given his salary of $1MM he would be a tougher fit for the cap-strapped Maple Leafs than some of their other $700K forwards.