Jack Finley

There may be a trade freeze in the NHL right now but waiver wire moves can still be made.  The Blues have added some young depth off the wire, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that they’ve claimed center Jack Finley off waivers from the Lightning.  Under the rules for roster movement during the break, he won’t be required to report to St. Louis until February 17th.

The 23-year-old was a second-round pick by Tampa Bay back in 2020, going 57th overall.  At the time, Finley wasn’t lighting it up in junior hockey with WHL Spokane but with a six-foot-six frame and an ability to play down the middle, the Lightning hoped that he’d eventually fill out and become a potential bottom-six option for them.  He had 57 points in his draft year and then in 2021-22 (2020-21 was largely wiped out), he managed just 50 so the offensive outburst never came.

However, Finley showed some promising signs offensively in the minors.  In his first three full professional seasons, he reached the double-digit goal mark in all three, ranging between 12 goals in his rookie year to 14 tallies last season, when he wound up with 28 points in 40 contests with AHL Syracuse.  Given that, Tampa Bay was hesitant to cut him in training camp, instead keeping him around at the back of their roster.

Unfortunately for Finley, playing time was difficult to come by.  He played in just 11 games over the first two months of the season, resulting in a three-game conditioning stint with the Crunch, where he had three points.  Finley did play a bit more regularly after being recalled, seeing action in 12 games over the last seven-plus weeks but that was still minimal playing time overall.  On the season, he has two goals and one assist in 23 outings while playing just 8:25 per game.  He’s also chipped in 37 hits and has won 48.5% of his faceoffs.

Finley, a St. Louis native, now joins a team that looks to be heading for at least some sort of rebuild or retooling process with the team well out of playoff contention.  Accordingly, he should have an easier pathway to consistent playing time down the stretch if the Blues sell off more veterans as they did with the Nick Bjugstad trade earlier this week; Finley effectively fills his spot on the roster.

While waiver claims are often on short-term deals, that isn’t the case here.  Finley is in the first season of a three-year deal that currently carries a cap hit of $775K.  As the league minimum increases next season, the AAV of the deal will go up to reflect the higher salary being paid.  The final two seasons of the agreement are a one-way salary so St. Louis is potentially absorbing around $2MM in cash costs over the next three years.  But if Finley is able to fill a depth role during that stretch, it’ll be a worthwhile pickup for them.

Photo courtesy of Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images.