Jan. 29: Reinhardt cleared waivers Wednesday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.
Jan. 28: The Senators placed left-winger Cole Reinhardt on waivers Tuesday, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. If he clears, he’ll be reassigned to AHL Belleville.
Reinhardt, 24, signed a two-way extension with the Senators in the offseason to avoid restricted free agency. He cleared waivers during training camp and was sent to Belleville but has spent a good portion of the season on the NHL roster, playing in 12 games since his initial recall on Oct. 20. That brought his tally of NHL appearances to 13, as he also appeared in one game with the Senators three years ago. He has a goal and an assist with a minus-five rating, averaging 8:10 per game at the top level.
Reinhardt was last recalled on Dec. 27, after which he lost his temporary waiver exemption because he’d played more than 10 games. He last played on Jan. 11 against the Penguins and has missed nine games with an upper-body injury, so today’s placement indicates he’s been cleared to play.
He’s made 13 AHL appearances this year with a raucous 16 points (6 G, 10 A). His plus-eight rating also leads B-Sens forwards despite only spending a small portion of the season on the farm. Dating back to 2020-21, he has 115 points in 238 minor-league games with 239 PIMs and an even rating.
He’s destined for Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer because he’s played more than three professional seasons with fewer than 80 career NHL appearances. His AHL breakout could convince some clubs to take a flyer on him off waivers tomorrow, potentially getting him more ice time somewhere with a thinner forward group.
Ottawa’s wingers are the healthiest they’ve been in quite some time with offseason pickups Michael Amadio and David Perron back in action. Their depth isn’t at 100%, though, as Nick Cousins is dealing with a lower-body injury after taking the worst of a knee-on-knee collision with Maple Leafs rookie Jacob Quillan on Saturday, and Noah Gregor remains on injured reserve with a lower-body issue.