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Marian Studenic Placed On Waivers

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The New Jersey Devils have placed Marian Studenic on waivers, according to CapFriendly. Studenic cleared waivers earlier this season but has spent enough time with the NHL squad to need them again before being assigned to the minor leagues.

The 23-year-old forward has suited up 17 times for the Devils this season, scoring a single goal and averaging just under 12 minutes of ice time. A fifth-round pick from 2017, he hasn’t quite found where he fits in the organization yet, bouncing back and forth between the AHL and NHL the last two seasons.

Given the fact that he comes with just a one-year, two-way contract that carries an NHL cap hit of $750K, Studenic could potentially attract attention on waivers. Still, it seems more likely that he will clear and can return to the Utica Comets in the coming days.

For New Jersey, it is likely the result of Dougie Hamilton’s impending return to the lineup. The team needed a roster spot to activate the defenseman, and Studenic is one of the most likely to sneak through waivers. Hamilton hasn’t played since January 2, when he suffered a broken jaw that required surgery.

Lane Pederson Clears Waivers

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Feb 22: Not only did the Sharks grab Dzingel, but Pederson has also cleared waivers according to Chris Johnston of TSN, meaning they’ll keep him in the organization. Pederson can now be assigned to the minor leagues.

Feb 21: Toronto is apparently on the way to San Jose. The San Jose Sharks have claimed Ryan Dzingel off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs, just days after the team acquired him from the Arizona Coyotes. To open a roster spot, the Sharks have waived Lane Pederson according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

When the Maple Leafs acquired Dzingel, they quickly explained that the plan was to put him on waivers and try to keep him in the organization as a depth option. His entire $1.1MM cap hit could be buried in the minor leagues, giving them an experienced NHL option to replace the outgoing Nick Ritchie. Instead, he’ll get a chance to jump into the lineup with the Sharks, where he’ll have to be kept on the active roster.

It’s certainly not like Dzingel deserves to be in the minor leagues. Though his offensive production has dropped off in recent years, he still is an excellent skater with strong defensive capabilities. In 26 games for the Coyotes this year he scored four goals and seven points, but perhaps could get a bigger opportunity with the reeling Sharks. The team has won one game over the last month, often scoring two or fewer goals in the process.

The last time an underused forward came to San Jose from Toronto, it certainly worked out for the new club. Alexander Barabanov ended up with the Sharks after 22 largely underwhelming games with the Maple Leafs and now is a regular in the team’s top-six. While Dzingel may not be able to recreate the 26 points in 41 games Barabanov has this season, he has performed to that level in the past and potentially could still be a nice addition.

The player he’s replacing in Pederson, meanwhile, has just not been able to create any offense at all this year. In 26 games, Pederson is still without a single goal and has recorded just two assists. The fact that he’s in the first season of a two-year deal that will be one-way in 2022-23, likely keeps him from being claimed on waivers.

For Toronto, the overall effect of the trade is Ritchie (and a draft pick) out, Ilya Lybushkin in, for roughly the same cap hit. The difference is that the defenseman will actually stay on the Maple Leafs roster, meaning as a net transaction, they’ve actually created a bit of cap space.

Clark Bishop, Carter Hutton Clear Waivers

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Feb 21: While Dzingel was claimed by the San Jose Sharks, both Bishop and Hutton have cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.

Feb 20: TSN’s Chris Johnston reports that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Dzingel, Ottawa Senators forward Clark Bishop, and Arizona Coyotes goaltender Carter Hutton were all placed on waivers today.

Dzingel’s placement is certainly somewhat unexpected, considering the team acquired him last night via trade from the Arizona Coyotes. However, as a casualty of the salary cap, the team was forced to send Rasmus Sandin down to the minors as a paper transaction today. In order for the team to keep both skilled young defensemen Sandin and Timothy Liljegren in the NHL, the team needed to clear additional salary. Dzingel’s cap hit of $1.1M is fully buriable in the AHL.

Bishop is a 25-year-old who’s seen a lot of time up and down between the NHL and AHL over the past few seasons. He’s gotten into nine games with Ottawa this year, but has averaged just 8:21 of ice time per game and has notched one assist.

With Hutton on waivers today, it’s an indication that the veteran goalie is finally healthy. Hutton suffered a lower-body injury just weeks into the season and has been out of the lineup for nearly four months. Seeing as Karel Vejmelka and Scott Wedgewood have both decisively outperformed Hutton’s early-season numbers, it’s the logical choice here for the Coyotes.

Snapshots: Dzingel, Rask, Matteau

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After acquiring him from the Arizona Coyotes last night, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe announced that forward Ryan Dzingel will be placed on waivers today, reports David Alter of The Leafs Nation (Tweet). If he clears, Dzingel will be assigned to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, adds Alter. Dzingel, who has four goals and three assists in 26 games this season for the Coyotes, was acquired last night along with defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin in exchange for a conditional draft pick and forward Nick Ritchie. While it may seem odd to acquire Dzingel to immediately waive him, the move allows the Leafs to potentially keep the forward in the minors, alleviating them of his $1.1MM cap hit, and retain him as a useful depth player down the stretch. Also out of Maple Leafs’ camp, defenseman Rasmus Sandin has been sent down, purely for salary cap flexibility, and is expected to be recalled and rejoin the team Monday, reports the Athletic’s Jonas Siegel (link to tweet).

  • Victor Rask, who cleared waivers for the Minnesota Wild yesterday, is expected to report to the AHL’s Iowa Wild in the coming days, reports the Athletic’s Michael Russo (link to tweet). Russo adds that while this process has been tough for Rask, he is expected to report to the AHL, and the Wild organization will give him several days. It’s been a difficult stretch for Rask, as this wasn’t his first time on waivers this season. The forward was placed on waivers and cleared in early January as well. Rask has five goals and eight assists in 29 games this season for Minnesota and is in the final year of a six-year, $24MM contract he signed in 2016, then with the Carolina Hurricanes. While Rask has not been terrible for Minnesota this season, placing his $4MM cap hit in the AHL could provide the Wild with flexibility heading into the trade deadline, where they are expected to be buyers on the market.
  • Also of note, forward Stefan Matteau has been activated off of long-term injured reserve and has been assigned to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. The 27-year-old forward has played in just one game this season with the Colorado Avalanche back on October 16 before being placed on long-term injured reserve.

Lightning Claim Gemel Smith Off Waivers

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Gemel Smith is heading back to Tampa Bay as TSN’s Chris Johnston reports (Twitter link) that the Lightning have claimed the forward off waivers from Detroit.

Smith started the season with the Lightning, spending a little more than three months on season-opening injured reserve.  Once he was cleared to play in mid-January, he was claimed by Detroit and subsequently sent on a three-game AHL conditioning stint.  Since returning from that nearly a month ago, the 27-year-old had hardly played, getting into just three games with the Red Wings where he had an assist while averaging less than seven minutes a game.  With Detroit having some players getting closer to returning from injury, they opted to waive Smith to get some roster flexibility.

As Tampa Bay was the only team to place a claim on Smith, they were able to send him down to AHL Syracuse and have quickly made that move.  Smith was quite productive with the Crunch back in 2019-20 with 40 points in 50 games and having played just 14 times between last season and this season combined, he should certainly benefit from some consistent playing time.  He’s in the first season of a two-year, two-way deal worth the league minimum of $750K at the NHL level.

Rask, Bunnaman Clear Waivers

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Saturday: While Smith was claimed by Tampa Bay, Johnston reports that Rask and Bunnaman both cleared waivers.

Friday: The waiver wire is busy today as three teams have exposed players to the rest of the league. Chris Johnston of TSN reports that Gemel Smith of the Detroit Red Wings, Victor Rask of the Minnesota Wild, and Connor Bunnaman of the Philadelphia Flyers have all been placed on waivers.

Smith is on waivers for the second time this season after being claimed by the Red Wings from the Tampa Bay Lightning last month. He ended up playing three games for the club and registered one assist, while playing three more for the Grand Rapids Griffins on a conditioning loan. While he’s now available to the rest of the league once again, the 27-year-old did finally get a chance to play with his brother Giavani Smith for the first time in their hockey careers. Signed for two years and carrying a $750K cap hit, it seems unlikely that anyone other than the Lightning would put in a claim. If they do and are the only team to do so, he could be assigned to the minor leagues.

Bunnaman also was on waivers earlier, clearing just before the season started. He’s been up and down (and up and down) since, but now with 15 games under his belt this season needed waivers again in order to be assigned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The 23-year-old forward doesn’t have a single point in those 15 contests and now sits at just three points in 54 career games (plus four scoreless postseason appearances). Also signed through 2022-23 with a $750K cap hit, he too seems like an unlikely candidate for claim.

Then there is Rask, who will certainly generate most of the headlines among this trio. The 28-year-old center is in the final season of a six-year, $24MM contract he signed in 2016 with the Carolina Hurricanes and already cleared waivers in January. There isn’t any team in the league who will touch that contract, given how poorly Rask’s time in Minnesota has gone. Acquired in 2019 in a one-for-one deal that saw Nino Niederreiter go the other way, Rask has recorded 22 goals and 52 points in 149 games with the Wild. His ice time has continued to drop, to the point where even when he does get into the lineup it’s for just a handful of shifts. In each of his last five appearances, he’s logged fewer than 10 minutes.

Notably, even when the Wild assign him to the minor leagues they will receive just $1.125MM of cap relief. What they do gain is a roster spot, one that perhaps could go to a prospect like Marco Rossi, who continues to light up the AHL. Rossi has points in all but eight of his 35 games with the Iowa Wild this season, including six in his past four outings.

Winnipeg Jets Claim Adam Brooks

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The Brooks-go-round continues. Adam Brooks has now been claimed by the Winnipeg Jets off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs, following Cole Perfetti’s injury last night. The Jets, who are ahead of the Maple Leafs in the waiver order, would have had to pass on him just a day prior when the forward was claimed from the Golden Knights. This is the fourth time Brooks has been claimed this season and he still cannot be assigned to the minor leagues.

The path so far for Brooks has been Toronto to Montreal to Vegas to Toronto to Winnipeg, all while playing in just 11 games at the NHL level. A conditioning stint sent him to Henderson to play for the Silver Knights as well, meaning it’s five different clubs in what must be a frustrating year. At least now he is returning to his hometown in Winnipeg, where there could be some playing time finally awaiting.

Perfetti may be out longer than day-to-day according to Jets head coach Dave Lowry, who spoke with reporters including Murat Ates of The Athletic today. Andrew Copp is also out day-to-day with an upper-body injury and Nikolaj Ehlers was among several others already on the sideline. It means that Brooks, who has experience at both center and on the wing, could immediately be needed in the Winnipeg lineup when they take on the Edmonton Oilers tomorrow. Unfortunately, the 25-year-old forward himself has been on injured reserve since January 20 so it is unclear if he’ll be ready to step directly into the action.

In terms of what the Maple Leafs were trying to do, this isn’t actually the worst outcome. The team will now have a chance to grab Brooks back at some point later in the season if the Jets decide to waive him. Had the Golden Knights claimed him (and been the only club to do so), he could have gone directly to the minor leagues and likely been out of their grasp completely.

Brooks is on the second season of a two-year deal that carries a cap hit of just $725K.

Adam Brooks Placed On Waivers

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In an interesting turn of events, the Toronto Maple Leafs have placed Adam Brooks right back on waivers today after claiming him yesterday. It is the fourth time that Brooks has ended up on waivers this season.

Normally, if a player is reclaimed by his former team on waivers and no one else puts in a claim, that team can send him directly to the minor leagues. But since Brooks had a stop-off with the Montreal Canadiens in between his stints with Toronto and the Vegas Golden Knights, only Montreal was allowed that exception. The Maple Leafs could not send him to the AHL without first clearing waivers again. That could certainly be possible this time as even for the Maple Leafs to claim him yesterday, most of the league (including the Canadiens) would have had to pass. Toronto sits near the very end of the waiver order, which is based on the reverse standings.

Still, the Golden Knights now hold that exception, and if they are the only team to put in a claim this time around now they could assign Brooks directly to the minor leagues. That would be a risky move though, as if someone else claims him as well, the Golden Knights would have to keep him on the active roster–something that wasn’t possible given the recent Jack Eichel activation. If any other team claims him, including Montreal, he would have to stay on the active roster.

It’s a lot of roster and cap gymnastics but what it mostly comes down to is Brooks available once again. The 25-year-old forward has two goals and three points in 11 games this season, split between the Golden Knights and Canadiens. Perhaps this time there will be some stability for the fourth-round pick, at one level or another.

Toronto Maple Leafs Claim Adam Brooks

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Adam Brooks is headed back to the place he has spent most of his career. CapFriendly reports that the Toronto Maple Leafs have claimed Brooks off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights. This is the third time Brooks has been claimed so far this season. The team has also moved Timothy Liljegren to the AHL to make room, something that suggests there may be more coming for Toronto in the coming days.

Originally under contract with the Maple Leafs, Brooks ended up on waivers at the outset of the season because of a roster crunch in Toronto. He was claimed by the Montreal Canadiens, where he proceeded to play in four games over the next month. Back on waivers he went in mid-November, only to this time be claimed by the Golden Knights. That’s where he’s been for months since, though his time in Vegas hasn’t been very fruitful. Brooks has played just seven games for the Golden Knights and five more for the Henderson Silver Knights of the AHL while on a conditioning loan.

For the past several weeks, he’s been on injured reserve and his placement on waivers this time suggests he’s ready to return to action.

A fourth-round pick in 2016, Brooks has just 29 regular season NHL games under his belt to this point but has actually been rather productive in them. Despite averaging just over ten minutes a night, he has six goals and 11 points–an 82-game pace of 17 goals, 31 points. That’s certainly a valuable player to have in the organization, even if his size and strength–or lack thereof–sometimes mean he’s not a perfect fit in the bottom-six.

It will be interesting to see what kind of role he has in Toronto, given the team already has veterans like Kyle Clifford and Nick Ritchie buried in the minor leagues. One thing Brooks has going for him is his price tag; the 25-year-old forward carries a cap hit of just $725K, less than the league minimum salary. Brooks will be a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer when his current two-year, two-way contract expires.

Adam Brooks Placed On Waivers

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The Vegas Golden Knights had to remove one more player from their NHL roster in order to activate Jack Eichel, and they’ve decided it will be Adam Brooks. The depth forward has been placed on waivers according to CapFriendly, the third time he’s ended up there this season. Previously, Brooks had been claimed by the Montreal Canadiens from the Toronto Maple Leafs, and then the Golden Knights from the Canadiens. He’s now up for grabs once again.

Brooks, 25, has played just seven games for the Golden Knights since being claimed in November, scoring his only two goals of the season. He did go to the minor leagues on a conditioning stint for a short period, but in order to be assigned there full-time, has to clear waivers.

Whether he clears this time still remains to be seen, as Brooks represents a useful fourth-line forward with a bit of powerplay upside in the right situation. Even in his short NHL career, which spans just 29 regular season games, he has scored six goals and 11 points. A superstar in junior, recording 250 points over his final two years with the Regina Pats, he’s exactly the type of player who seems to ride right on the edge between the minor leagues and NHL. The fact that he is a natural center but can also play the wing only helps his case, as does his super-low cap hit of $725K.

Unfortunately, given he has been on injured reserve since the middle of January, teams probably can’t be sure that he’s ready to contribute. That could allow him to slip through and be sent to Henderson, where he can remain useful depth for the cap-strapped Golden Knights.

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