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Nathan Bastian Placed On Waivers

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The Seattle Kraken had to make room for Mason Appleton, who has been activated off injured reserve, so Nathan Bastian finds himself on waivers today.

Bastian, 23, was the Kraken’s expansion pick from the New Jersey Devils, but saw very limited time in his games with Seattle. Averaging just over nine minutes of ice time through 12 appearances, he hadn’t even gotten into the lineup since November 9. With Appleton returning, someone on the roster was going to have to be exposed, since none of the Kraken skaters are waiver-exempt.

It will be interesting to see if Bastian clears, given his obvious upside. Though he has just two points this season, he has scored in bunches in the minor leagues, was a high draft pick in 2016 (41st overall), and possesses the size–6’4″–that many teams covet in the bottom-six. He’s more than willing to use that size too, as Bastian recorded 136 hits in just 41 games for the Devils last season and even drops the gloves on occasion.

New Jersey themselves could even bring Bastian back, though they made a move to bring up Chase De Leo recently to fill out the last spot on the roster and have other forwards who will return from injury at some point.

If he isn’t claimed, Bastian could be sent to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL.

Hurricanes’ Eric Gelinas, Wild’s Ivan Lodnia Clear Unconditional Waivers

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Nov 23: After both players cleared waivers, they are now able to have their contracts terminated and sign overseas. Gelinas technically was recalled to the NHL before terminating it but is headed back to Rogle where he played last season. As for Lodnia, Michael Russo of The Athletic understood that a few weeks ago the young forward was linked to Finland, but nothing has yet surfaced regarding his next destination.

Nov 21: Two NHL seasons and contracts (and possibly careers) could soon be coming to an end. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that a pair of names have been placed on unconditional waivers today for the purpose of contract termination. They are veteran defenseman Eric Gelinas of the Carolina Hurricanes and young forward Ivan Lodnia of the Minnesota Wild.

Gelinas, a name that should be familiar to NHL fans, is an experienced defender in the league with nearly 200 games to his credit with the New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche. However, he spent the past three seasons in Europe before returning with a one-year contract with the Hurricanes this off-season. Given the defensive depth in Carolina though, Gelinas has yet to see a return to the NHL level and very well might not have played for anyone other than the AHL’s Chicago Wolves this season. As a result, he is seeking a contract termination so that he can pursue greater opportunities elsewhere. One of the best offensive defensemen in Sweden last year, Gelinas is likely to head back to the SHL if he clears waivers.

Lodnia, 22, is a different case. The young forward is in his first pro season in North America after playing in the KHL on loan last year. A 2017 third-round pick and long-time OHL standout, Lodnia is considered a good prospect and likely expected to be treated as such by the Wild. Instead, Minnesota’s depth forced them to assign Lodnia to the ECHL to begin the year. When he opted not to report, Lodnia was suspended and as a result, has not played a single game this season. Enough is enough apparently, as the two sides are moving toward a contract termination. It is unclear if the Wild have tried to trade Lodnia and, if so, if his refusal to report has been a turn-off to potential suitors. An interested club could still grab Lodnia on waivers, but typically unconditional placements go untouched. He could potentially sign with another NHL team, or AHL team, but there is also the chance that he returns to Europe instead. It’s a strange twist to what once seemed like a budding NHL career that now may never be.

Clark Bishop Clears Waivers

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Nov 22: Bishop has cleared waivers according to Friedman, and can be assigned to the minor leagues if the team chooses to do so.

Nov 21: Ottawa Senators forward Clark Bishop is finally coming back from injury, but could he also be headed elsewhere? Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Bishop has been placed on waivers today by the Senators. This move comes as Bishop is activated from the Season-Opening Injured Reserve, having suffered a lower-body injury in training camp.

Bishop, 25, is a serviceable depth forward with 38 NHL games and over 200 AHL games under his belt in six pro seasons. The Senators acquired Bishop from the Carolina Hurricanes in January in exchange for defenseman Maxime Lajoie. While Lajoie has remained in the AHL and has yet to play for Carolina, Bishop got into 13 games with Ottawa last season and earned a one-year contract extension. The Senators clearly like the hard-working forward and may not even send him to the minors if he does clear waivers.

That is a significant “if” though. Young bottom-six forwards have moved around frequently on waivers so far this season and Bishop could be the next in line. Though not a scoring option, Bishop is a good defensive center who could plug into a fourth line role for a team facing injuries or depth concerns in their bottom six.

Justin Bailey Clears Waivers

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Nov 19: Bailey has cleared waivers and will be assigned to the AHL.

Nov 18: The Vancouver Canucks have placed Justin Bailey on waivers, along with designating him for assignment. That means they clear the roster spot immediately, but Bailey will have to be assigned to the AHL should he clear tomorrow.

Now 26, Bailey has played in ten games this season for the Canucks but does not yet have a point. Originally a second-round pick by the Buffalo Sabres, to this point in his career he hasn’t been able to establish himself as a full-time NHL option. In the minor leagues Bailey is a top-level scorer, with 28 goals in 53 games during the 2019-20 campaign, but so far that hasn’t translated to the higher level. In his 78 career games, the 6’4″ forward has just five goals and nine points.

With Tyler Motte back in action, the team was carrying 14 forwards and were pushed right up against the cap. Sending Bailey’s league-minimum contract down would open up a roster spot and some cap space, perhaps letting them bring Jack Rathbone back up to join the defensive group.

There’s a chance he could be claimed, but with so many other forwards passing through waivers without a problem, Bailey seems like a safe bet to be assigned to Abbotsford tomorrow.

Guillaume Brisebois Clears Waivers

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Nov 17: While Brooks was claimed by the Vegas Golden Knights, Brisebois cleared and has been assigned to the AHL.

Nov 16: The Montreal Canadiens have placed Adam Brooks back on waivers after suiting up just four times with the team. Brooks had been claimed from the Toronto Maple Leafs off waivers earlier this season. Should Toronto put in a claim and are the only team to do so, they would be able to send him directly to the AHL. The Canadiens have also moved Mike Hoffman to injured reserve, retroactive to Saturday.

Meanwhile in Vancouver, the Canucks have placed Guillaume Brisebois on waivers, designating him for assignment to the AHL should he clear. Brisebois was on season-opening injured reserve, but this move suggests he’s nearing a return to action.

Brooks, 25, registered a single point in those four appearances for Montreal. The 2016 fourth-round pick has just 22 NHL regular season games under his belt, with four goals and nine points total. A natural center, he has shown the ability to score at a high rate in junior and the AHL, but is undersized and has yet to receive a true top-six opportunity.

Toronto does have an open roster spot and the cap space to carry Brooks, after sending Joey Anderson back to the minors yesterday.

It seems unlikely that Brisebois will be claimed, given he is coming off injury and has just nine games of NHL experience. This is a move that would have been done at the end of training camp in a normal situation, but the Canucks shouldn’t have much trouble getting him through to the minor leagues where he can get back up to speed.

Michael Amadio Added To COVID Protocol

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Another Vegas Golden Knight is now unavailable to the team, as Michael Amadio has been placed in the COVID protocol. His designation further explains why the team claimed Adam Brooks off waivers today, as they continue to deal with injuries and COVID-related absences this season. The team has also canceled their media availability for this afternoon.

Amadio joins William Carrier and Jonathan Marchessault in the protocol, meaning the team is down three forwards in addition to Max Pacioretty, Nolan Patrick, and Jack Eichel who are on injured reserve. The team hasn’t had a full roster all season and saw their winning streak snapped last night by the Carolina Hurricanes.

In that game, Amadio played 13 minutes of ice time. The team has not confirmed whether or not he has tested positive for coronavirus, but he will be unavailable for the time being. If he has tested positive and presents any symptoms, he’ll be kept out for a minimum of 10 days. The Golden Knights are currently scheduled to play tomorrow against the Detroit Red Wings, who had their own key player enter the COVID protocol last night.

Vegas Golden Knights Claim Adam Brooks

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The Vegas Golden Knights have added a depth forward, claiming Adam Brooks off waivers from the Montreal Canadiens according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.

This is the second player to start the year with the Toronto Maple Leafs and end up with Vegas through waivers, as Brooks will re-join Michael Amadio with the Golden Knights. Today’s claim comes from the Canadiens though, where Brooks played four games after being snatched earlier this season.

The 25-year-old forward has experience at wing and his natural center position but has only suited up for 22 regular season games to this point. There is real skill in the former Regina Pats superstar, but Brooks has been limited to bottom-six roles to this point. Perhaps Vegas, who are dealing with several injuries and COVID absences, will give him a shot in more offensive opportunities in the coming days.

It’s an interesting connection between Brooks and Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon. The former is from Manitoba and played his junior hockey in Saskatchewan, while the latter is from Saskatchewan and ran the Brandon Wheat Kings in Manitoba for decades. In fact, McCrimmon would have seen Brooks up close and personal during his breakout 2015-16 season, when he scored 120 points in 72 games in the WHL.

Kyle Clifford Placed On Waivers

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Nov 16: Clifford has cleared waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. He can now be assigned to the AHL.

Nov 15: The St. Louis Blues have placed Kyle Clifford on waivers, according to Jeff Marek of Sportsnet. With Scott Perunovich’s recall, the team needed to clear more than $900K in cap space if they wanted to activate Oskar Sundqvist from injured reserve. Clifford, who makes $1MM this season, could be loaned to the minor leagues should he clear waivers, completely burying his cap hit.

Clifford, 30, has only played two games for the Blues this season, spending nearly two weeks in the COVID protocol. The fourth-line forward did register a point in one of those two matches, but has very limited offensive upside. That, added to the fact that he makes more than league minimum, makes him an unlikely claim candidate, though perhaps a team believes he can add some extra toughness to their bottom-six. There’s certainly a case for the experience factor, as Clifford has played in more than 700 NHL games and won the Stanley Cup twice with the Los Angeles Kings.

Sundqvist is a much more useful player though, and given Perunovich’s incredible start in the minor leagues, it was hard to justify keeping him down any longer. Making room for the young defenseman could potentially cost them Clifford, but with the team on a three-game losing streak and falling behind in the Central Division race, something needed to be changed.

Riley Sheahan And Leo Komarov Placed On Waivers

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November 14: Komarov made his move to the KHL’s SKA St. Petersburg today, announcing it via an Instagram post. Komarov expects to join SKA “soon.”

November 13: A pair of veterans are on the waiver wire today as James Mirtle of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the Kraken have placed center Riley Sheahan on waivers while the Islanders have done the same with Leo Komarov.

Sheahan signed with Seattle at the beginning of September to give them some extra depth down the middle, inking a one-year, $850K contract.  However, he has had a limited role this season, logging just 11:28 per game, the lowest average of his career, while tallying just a goal and two assists in 14 games this season.  With Colin Blackwell set to make his Kraken debut tonight – per The Athletic’s Ryan S. Clark (Twitter link) – it will be Sheahan that loses his roster spot.  With center depth typically being something that teams covet, there is a reasonable chance that the 29-year-old could be claimed.

The same can’t be said for Komarov, who has cleared waivers several times including last month.  A report surfaced earlier this week that Komarov was expected to head back overseas and join SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL and today’s placement on unconditional waivers paves the way for that move to be made official on Saturday.  Assuming this is indeed the end of Komarov’s time in North America, he’ll leave with 170 points in 491 career NHL contests to go along with a whopping 1,572 hits.  Once his deal is terminated, the Islanders will free up $1.875MM in cap room.

Colorado Claims Nicolas Aube-Kubel Off Waivers

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The Avalanche have added some forward depth up front as Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (Twitter link) that they’ve claimed winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel off waivers from Philadelphia.

The 25-year-old has had a limited role for the Flyers this season, suiting in seven games, logging just under 10 minutes per contest.  He has just a single assist to show for it although he has chipped in with his usual physicality, recording 17 hits.  Aube-Kubel has shown some upside in the past, recording 15 points in 36 games during the 2019-20 season and Colorado is clearly hoping that they can help him rediscover that offensive touch.

Interestingly enough, Aube-Kubel was on Philadelphia’s protected list for Seattle’s expansion draft so his stock inside the organization has certainly dipped in recent months.  He’s in the second and final season of a contract that carries a $1.075MM AAV and Colorado can retain him as a restricted free agent this summer if they tender him a $1.225MM qualifying offer.

Seravalli adds that a handful of teams were poking around on Aube-Kubel since he was put on waivers so it’s quite possible that the Avs weren’t the only team to place a claim on him.  In that sense, it’s a bit surprising that Philadelphia wasn’t able to find a taker in a trade although the cap space freed up by the move may have been preferable to whatever marginal return such a move might have yielded especially with Kevin Hayes getting closer to returning.

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