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Waivers

Brad Malone, Justin Dowling Clear Waivers

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Feb 11: Malone and Dowling have both cleared, according to Friedman. They can now be assigned to the minor leagues.

Feb 10: The waiver wire has two players on it today, as Brad Malone of the Edmonton Oilers and Justin Dowling of the Vancouver Canucks are both available for claim according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. If Malone’s name surprises you, it should; the veteran forward had been playing on an AHL contract but has now signed a one-year, two-way, NHL deal with the Oilers. In order to return to Bakersfield for the time being, he needs to clear waivers after signing the new deal.

Malone, 32, is the captain of the Condors, meaning he likely has a close relationship with Jay Woodcroft, who is now taking over as head coach of the Oilers after Dave Tippett was let go earlier today. That isn’t necessarily the reason for this contract though, as reports had surfaced much earlier in the year that Edmonton wanted to sign Malone to an NHL deal but couldn’t for salary cap reasons. Still, Woodcroft’s promotion could certainly mean that there is a bit of NHL playing time in Malone’s future, depending on what happens with the rest of the roster.

If he does come back up at some point, it certainly wouldn’t be a new experience. Malone has more than 200 NHL games under his belt to this point, including some playoff contests back when he was with the Colorado Avalanche organization. He played 16 games with the Oilers in 2018-19, his last appearance in the NHL.

Dowling meanwhile has played in 22 games with the Canucks this season, including last night’s loss against the New York Islanders. He has just two goals and four points in those matches, while usually seeing less than ten minutes of ice time. Because he’s in just the first season of a two-year, one-way contract, it seems unlikely that another team would claim him unless they feel he can make an immediate impact in the lineup. The 31-year-old has just 18 points in 98 career regular season games.

Seattle Kraken Claim Dennis Cholowski

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As expected, the Seattle Kraken have reclaimed Dennis Cholowski off waivers from the Washington Capitals according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The young defenseman had been lost at the beginning of the season without ever actually suiting up for Seattle.

Cholowski, 23, ended up playing in just seven games for the Capitals during his time in Washington, spending more time in the press box than in the lineup. That’s sort of been the story of his career the last few years, as the first-round pick has played just 59 NHL games since the start of 2019-20. That is only a few more than he had as a rookie in 2018-19 when he came almost directly to the Detroit Red Wings lineup in his first year of professional hockey.

It was from Detroit that Cholowski was originally selected by the Kraken in the expansion draft. He ended up on waivers at the beginning of the season though thanks to an overloaded defense corps and ended up heading east. His return to the Kraken depth chart is an interesting one, given where the team now sits in the standings. With the trade deadline approaching, there could be some opportunities for the Seattle front office to flip some of their more veteran defensemen, thus opening up an opportunity for someone like Cholowski.

Still, he’ll have to show more consistency than he has to this point if he wants to lock down a full-time NHL job. Because the Kraken were the only team to put in a claim this time around, he can be immediately assigned to the minor leagues. The team did so, sending him to the Charlotte Checkers, the AHL club they are sharing this season.

Seattle Kraken Claim Austin Czarnik

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The Seattle Kraken have nabbed a depth forward off waivers, selecting Austin Czarnik from the New York Islanders according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The veteran minor leaguer will join Seattle’s active roster.

Czarnik, 29, will actually be an interesting player to follow with the Kraken, given his obvious offensive upside. The 5’9″ forward has lit up the minor leagues over the years, routinely putting up point-per-game seasons. Even in the NHL he’s been relatively productive with 43 points in 136 career games, including five this year in 11 with the Islanders. If he’s given a more offensive role with the expansion club, perhaps some of that production can make its way to the Kraken scoresheet.

The fact that he carries a cap hit of just $725K also makes him a potential deadline trade piece, should a contender be dealing with any injury issues. Not that he’d bring much back in any deal, but a waiver claim from the Kraken does nothing but add an asset to the organization while they continue to try and find their way forward. It also could represent some insurance for a different trade, with players like Calle Jarnkrok and Marcus Johansson in the rumor mill as pending unrestricted free agents.

In any case, the move from New York to Seattle will probably be a good one for Czarnik, who should see some playing time when he arrives and gets acclimated. The Kraken are in action tomorrow night and have nine games left in February alone.

Dennis Cholowski Placed On Waivers

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The Washington Capitals have placed Dennis Cholowski on waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the second time he’s found himself there this season. The Capitals claimed Cholowski from the Seattle Kraken at the beginning of the season and now he could be on his way to another team.

The 23-year-old played just seven games for the Capitals during his stint in Washington, averaging fewer than 14 minutes of ice time whenever he did get into the lineup. It’s been a dramatic fall-off for a player that was selected 20th overall in 2016 and quickly made his way to the NHL. In 2018-19, Cholowski played 52 games as a rookie for the Detroit Red Wings, but has just 59 in the three years since.

It would certainly make sense for the Kraken to put in a claim, adding him back to their depth chart. That said, as a pending restricted free agent that very well may go unqualified, the team may decide to just move on. Cholowski was Seattle’s choice in the expansion draft but already it seems as though that was likely a mistake, given some of the other names available to them at the time.

Perhaps there is still more to come from the 6’2″ defenseman, but given he’ll turn 24 in a few days and has struggled to provide any level of consistency at the NHL level, the minor leagues appear to be in his immediate future.

Austin Czarnik Placed On Waivers

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The New York Islanders have placed Austin Czarnik on waivers according to CapFriendly, as teams return from the All-Star break. The move suggests he’s ready to return to action after going on injured reserve last month. After clearing earlier in the season, he has spent enough time with the NHL club to require waivers again before being assigned to the AHL.

Czarnik, 29, has five points in 11 games with the Islanders this season despite averaging fewer than 11 minutes in his limited appearances. The 5’9″ forward has always been an excellent minor league scorer–his 15 points in 20 games this season is actually a step down from his usual rate–but has had trouble landing a regular gig in the NHL. In 2018-19 he played in 54 games for the Calgary Flames but has suited up just 23 times since then.

While he did clear at the beginning of the season, Czarnik actually is an interesting waiver case at this point in the season as teams deal with injuries and illnesses. He can obviously hold his own at the NHL level and actually comes with a cap hit–$725K–lower than the league’s minimum salary. His recent injury certainly complicates that, but he did see NHL action as recently as January 22.

Michael Houser Clears Waivers

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Feb 3: Friedman reports that Houser has cleared waivers. He can now be sent to the minor leagues.

Feb 2: The Buffalo Sabres, finally getting some goaltenders healthy again, have placed Michael Houser on waivers today according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The team had Craig Anderson and Dustin Tokarski dressed last night, meaning Houser can now return to the minor leagues and wait for his next NHL opportunity.

It’s been an interesting year for Houser, who was playing in the ECHL as recently as 2019-20. The undrafted netminder was on a minor league deal last season when the Sabres were forced to sign him to an NHL contract and put him in the net. The exact same situation happened again this season when he was signed in mid-January after more goaltending issues in Buffalo. Despite all that he has actually been excellent when called upon and now spots a career NHL save percentage of .917 through six appearances.

Still, the chance of him being claimed at this point is extremely low given his checkered history in the minor leagues, which only even includes 23 AHL appearances since the start of the 2015-16 season. Should he clear as expected, he’ll likely go back to Rochester where the Americans are scheduled to play 13 games in February.

It will be interesting to see who would be the first call-up should the Sabres run into any other goaltending trouble, after Aaron Dell was also sent to the AHL earlier this week. The veteran goaltender appears to have served his full suspension by staying on the active roster through the game against the Colorado Avalanche, meaning he could be recalled and play for the Sabres whenever necessary.

Slater Koekkoek Clears Waivers

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Feb 2: Koekkoek has cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.

Feb 1: The Edmonton Oilers have placed Slater Koekkoek on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Koekkoek, 27, was signed to a new two-year contract in August, but has already found himself on the outside looking in for the Oilers. Originally selected 10th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2012, the 6’2″ defenseman has never really been able to establish himself as a full-time NHL option.

In Edmonton, nothing changed, as Koekkoek averaged just over 11 minutes a night in his 19 appearances this season. That included recent games against the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames, but with the emergence of William Lagesson he once again found himself out of the lineup.

The fact that Koekkoek is owed $1.1MM next season–his contract carries a cap hit of $925K–might make him a very unattractive claim to teams around the NHL. If that’s enough to get him through waivers, the Oilers could potentially stash him in the AHL and bury his entire cap hit. That would give them a little more financial wiggle room with Mike Smith nearing a return from long-term injured reserve.

Sabres’ Aaron Dell Clears Waivers

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Jan. 30: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Dell cleared waivers today. He will continue to serve his three-game suspension as a member of the Buffalo Sabres.

Jan. 29: The Sabres appear to be set to get Craig Anderson back tonight, lessening their need for goaltending depth.  Accordingly, the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve placed netminder Aaron Dell on waivers.

Dell was in the news earlier this week when he received a three-game suspension for his hit on Senators winger Drake Batherson.  Two games still remain on that ban, one of which is tonight in Arizona.  As long as he’s on the active roster and not moved to non-roster status, he still should get credit for serving the second game of his suspension even while being on waivers.

It has been a rough season on the ice as well for the 32-year-old as he has struggled mightily in his NHL action so far.  He has played in a dozen games for Buffalo in 2021-22, recording just one victory while posting a 4.03 GAA and a save percentage of just .893.  Those numbers are actually better than what he put up in seven games with New Jersey last season which is what led to him settling for a two-way deal worth the league minimum of $750K in the NHL and $350K in the minors.

Despite all that, there is still a chance that Dell is claimed.  Several teams are dealing with injuries between the pipes at the moment and could view the veteran as a short-term stopgap to allow a prospect currently on recall to return to the minors.  If that doesn’t happen, Buffalo could opt to immediately send Dell down or keep him on their roster through the weekend to clear the remainder of his suspension and then send him to the taxi squad or AHL Rochester.

Colton Sceviour Clears Waivers

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Saturday: Sceviour has cleared waivers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.  He was assigned to the taxi squad with Lagesson being brought back to the active roster.

Friday: The Edmonton Oilers had to clear a roster spot for Evander Kane, who is expected to play tomorrow night against the Montreal Canadiens, so Colton Sceviour is the odd man out. Sceviour has been placed on waivers today by the team, while William Lagesson was also assigned to the taxi squad.

Sceviour, 32, played just 7:57 last night against the Nashville Predators, receiving just 12 shifts and none in the final six minutes of the third period. His role on the team had diminished throughout the season, and he’s now available to others for the low cost of a waiver claim.

Signed to a one-year, two-way contract that carries a cap hit of $750K at the NHL level, he could potentially be a nice fourth-line addition for teams dealing with injury problems or inconsistency from their depth players, as Sceviour does have more than 500 games of experience. In 30 games this year for Edmonton, he has five points and was a key penalty killer for the club, getting almost 20% of his ice time short-handed.

Sami Niku, Brett Connolly Clear Waivers

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Jan 27: Both players have cleared waivers according to James Mirtle of The Athletic, meaning they can be sent to the minor leagues.

Jan 26: The Montreal Canadiens have placed Sami Niku on waivers, as they continue to get players back from injury on the back end. This is actually the second time Niku has been on waivers this season, though the first was in training camp with the Winnipeg Jets when he agreed to a contract termination in order to pursue a different opportunity.

While it’s easy to wonder why anyone would target a defenseman from a team that sits 31st in goals against, Niku actually may draw some interest on the wire. The 25-year-old defenseman has shown he can dominate at the minor league level, including posting a 16-goal, 54-point season in 2017-18, and has generated 16 points in 67 career NHL games. Still, his size and defensive ability raise enough questions that it’s hard to envision him stepping into a regular role on a contender at this point, meaning he might end up in the minor leagues once again.

He isn’t alone, though, as Chris Johnston of TSN reports that Brett Connolly has also been placed on waivers by the Chicago Blackhawks. Connolly cleared waivers in October and was assigned to the minor leagues, where he has spent a good chunk of the season. Now, he’s spent enough time on the NHL roster that he needed waivers again in order to be sent down.

The thing hurting Connolly’s chances at NHL playing time right now is his contract, which carries a $3.5MM cap hit through 2022-23. While he likely could catch on somewhere if he had a more reasonable price tag, there’s little chance that someone would agree to take that contract off waivers. Should he clear, the Blackhawks will be able to once again bury $1.125MM of his cap hit in the minor leagues.

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