Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Vegas Golden Knights claimed forward Michael Amadio off waivers Saturday afternoon from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Amadio was placed on waivers yesterday by Toronto after somewhat unexpectedly making the team’s opening night roster. The 25-year-old Ontario native played just three games with Toronto before he was waived.
The acquisition of Amadio gives head coach Peter DeBoer some additional lineup flexibility as the team’s been hamstrung by injuries early on in the season. As five lineup-regular forwards (Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, Alex Tuch, Mattias Janmark, Nolan Patrick) are currently unable to go, young players like Jake Leschyshyn and Jonas Rondbjerg have been forced into action for Vegas, likely earlier in their developmental paths than the organization hoped. Patrick has been placed on injured reserve to make room for Amadio on the roster, per Ben Gotz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
It allows Vegas to return one of Leschyshyn or Rondbjerg to the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights, where they’ll be much more comfortable. Amadio is a versatile forward who can play any position, and while he usually wouldn’t be a lineup or even NHL regular on a Stanley Cup-contending team like Vegas, an aforementioned injury bug forced their hand.
When all is said and done, it’s likely Amadio appears on the waiver wire again later in the season when Vegas’ health improves.
Kings fan here. That kid works his butt off. And he’s smart too. But he’s not capable of playing at the speed of the game. At least so far.