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Joakim Nygard Clears Waivers

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Sunday: Nygard has cleared waivers, as expected. It remains to be seen what comes next for the Oilers forward, whose waiver placement this time around was not necessary for any roster maintenance requirements.

Saturday: The Oilers have been placing veterans on waivers throughout the season to give them roster flexibility and they have done so again as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that Joakim Nygard has been placed on waivers.

A year ago, the 28-year-old showed a bit of promise in a limited role, notching nine points (3-6-9) in 33 games, most of which were spent on the fourth line.  That was enough to earn him a one-year, $875K extension, one that actually represented a small dip in pay from the $925K he made on his entry-level deal.  However, things haven’t gone as well this season.  He cleared waivers back in January and has played in just six games with Edmonton after suiting up for 15 with Farjestad of the SHL prior to the start of the NHL campaign.

Interestingly enough, this isn’t a waiver placement to get Nygard to the taxi squad as he already is there now.  Assuming he clears once more though, his clock will be reset, meaning he can play in up to nine games before needing to clear again.

Evgeny Svechnikov Clears Waivers

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Saturday: Svechnikov has cleared waivers, Friedman reports.

Friday: According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Detroit Red Wings have placed Evgeny Svechnikov on waivers for the second time this season after the young forward cleared in early January. Now that he has played 10 games for the Red Wings this season, he needed to clear waivers again to be assigned to the taxi squad or minor leagues.

Svechnikov, 24, has never developed into the top-six power forward that Detroit hoped for when they selected him 19th overall in 2015. His younger brother Andrei Svechnikov has reached those heights in Carolina, but the Red Wings forward has instead toiled at the minor league level for almost all of his professional career. In 30 NHL games, Svechnikov has nine points, five of those coming this season. Even in the minor leagues though things haven’t gone smoothly, with Svechnikov only recording 60 points in 112 AHL games since the start of 2017-18.

Of course, part of the reason why that number is so low is the entire season he missed in 2018-19 after suffering a major knee injury. While that can’t be completely blamed for his stalled development, it certainly didn’t help things.

There have been flashes of potential this season, but Svechnikov doesn’t appear to really be in the long-term plans for the Red Wings. His one-year contract will expire at the end of this season and leaves him a restricted free agent again. Should a team want to claim him now, he’d have to remain on their NHL roster until clearing waivers in the future.

Three Players Clear Waivers

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April 2: All three players have cleared waivers and can be assigned to their respective taxi squads or minor league teams.

April 1: The waiver wire has some interesting names on it today, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Tyler Ennis of the Edmonton Oilers, Nikita Gusev of the New Jersey Devils, and Matt Luff of the Los Angeles Kings have all been placed on waivers. The trio of forwards are available for claim by the rest of the league.

Gusev’s name will stand out among the group, given how recently he was considered an up-and-coming name in the NHL. The 28-year-old made a splashy debut for the Devils last season, scoring 44 points in 66 games after signing a two-year, $9MM deal. The Devils only had his rights in the first place after trading second and third-round picks to the Vegas Golden Knights, a deal they might want to reverse if they had the chance.

In 20 games this season, Gusev has just five points and has received 16 or more minutes of ice time just twice. Since the beginning of March he has registered just one point and played a season-low 8:41 just a few games ago. With his $4.5MM cap hit that just isn’t cutting it, meaning the end to his Devils career might be coming quickly. Gusev is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and the team has several top forward prospects pushing for roster spots. One of them, the recently-signed Tyce Thompson, joined practice today for the first time. While it seems very unlikely that Gusev will be claimed, perhaps a deal could be made with a team should the Devils be willing to eat some of his cap hit. Clearing waivers would make him a more desirable trade asset, since he will be able to be placed on the taxi squad.

Ennis has been here before, clearing waivers in January for the Oilers. The undersized forward is a useful player, but one that can only fit certain roles. For Edmonton, room was needed on the active roster and under the salary cap to add Alex Stalock, who will serve as additional goalie depth down the stretch. Given Ennis has already cleared once, the chance of claim this time around remains low.

Luff started the year on injured reserve and has played just 11 games for the Kings, but doesn’t represent much offensive upside anyway. The 23-year-old winger went undrafted and has made it to the NHL after grinding it out in the minor leagues, but has just one point this season. His contract is a two-way deal worth $700K, which means he might actually draw the most interest on the wire, but just like most of the other skaters this season is more likely to clear and be assigned to the taxi squad.

Nick Holden, Liam O’Brien Clear Waivers

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March 31: Though Gostisbehere will still claim the headlines, Holden and O’Brien also cleared waivers today. Both players can be assigned to the taxi squad or, in O’Brien’s case, kept in the AHL.

March 30: While Shayne Gostisbehere got all the waiver attention, two more players were put on waivers Tuesday. The Vegas Golden Knights placed veteran defenseman Nick Holden on waivers again, while the Colorado Avalanche sent Liam O’Brien through waivers after signing him to a one-year deal earlier this morning, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Holden already cleared waivers earlier this season, but a player must pass through waivers again if he has played 10 games in the NHL. For Holden, the veteran is at 13 games and with everyday salary meaning so much, the team must attempt to pass him through waivers once again. Whether he will be claimed is a different story as more teams are eager to add to their ailing blueline. However, Holden is making $1.7MM AAV not only for this year, but for next year as well and many teams may want to avoid that second year, considering he is already 33 years old. Holden has one assist in 13 games for the Golden Knights, averaging 15:44 of ice time.

As for O’Brien, the Avalanche signed him and were forced to put him on waivers to either assign him back to the Eagles or put him on the taxi squad.

Philadelphia Flyers’ Shayne Gostisbehere Clears Waivers

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March 31: Gostisbehere has cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the taxi squad or AHL.

March 30: The Philadelphia Flyers announced they have placed defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere on waivers. While the career of the blueliner has been derailed in recent years due to injuries and on-ice struggles, Gostisbehere is still young at 27 years and only a few years away from his 65-point season in 2017-18.

With many teams successfully attempting to ease cap concerns by placing large contracts on waivers, this might seem to be something similar with Philadelphia hoping that Gostisbehere’s $4.5MM contract might dissuade most teams from claiming the defenseman. While that still might be the case, there are plenty of teams in desperate need of defensive help and while many of those teams are capped out, it wouldn’t be hard to suggest that a change of scenery away from Philadelphia could alter the career of Gostisbehere.

In fact, Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Philadelphia is trying to free up some cap room to make a major trade, perhaps even hoping a team might claim Gostisbehere.

His big season in 2017-18 (13 goals & 65 points) had many believing at the time that Gostisbehere would develop into a superstar, cornerstone blueliner. Instead, he struggled after that, posting just nine goals and 37 points the following year with injuries affecting his game as well. He scored just five goals and 12 points last season in 42 games and while Gostisbehere has been slightly better this year with five goals and 11 points in 25 games, the defenseman has not been able to come close to the star that Philadelphia thought he would be.

Of course, with the Flyers struggling significantly, which includes almost losing to the hapless Sabres Monday, general manager Chuck Fletcher might also be looking to just shake up the team. Moving out a player like Gostisbehere could send a significant message to the team.

It wouldn’t be unreasonable to think that even non-playoff teams might be interested in Gostisbehere and could claim him. He is still just 27 years old and while he carries a $4.5MM AAV for the next two years, he is only actually drawing $3.25MM in salary. That could be attractive to teams like Ottawa, Buffalo, Detroit and the Los Angeles Kings who have the cap space to bring in Gostisbehere. Another possibility could be the Florida Panthers, who are in need of defensive help after the injury to Aaron Ekblad. In fact, Gostisbehere is from Pembroke Pines, Florida, not far from the Panthers’ home.

Any team interested in claiming him would have be required to have $1.525MM in projected cap space or $4.5MM in salary pool relief for clubs currently in LTIR, according to CapFriendly.

Artem Anisimov, Scott Harrington Placed On Waivers

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Tuesday: Both Anisimov and Harrington have cleared, according to Friedman.

Monday: Two veterans have hit waivers today, as Artem Anisimov of the Ottawa Senators and Scott Harrington of the Columbus Blue Jackets are available for claim, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet.

Anisimov already cleared in February, but has bounced back and forth from the taxi squad to the active roster enough to need his waiver clock reset. Despite spending some of the time on injured reserve, the veteran forward has played ten games since he cleared, meaning if the team wanted to put him back on the taxi squad or in the minor leagues, he needed to go through the process again.

The 32-year-old Anisimov has played in just 14 games this season and has four points, totals that compare poorly even to his disappointing 2019-20 campaign. He at least scored 15 goals for the Senators last year, though he was still obviously a shell of his former self. Carrying a $4.55MM cap hit, there’s virtually no chance that another team claims Anisimov at this point.

Harrington meanwhile has continued to serve in a depth role for the Blue Jackets, playing just six games this season. The 28-year-old defenseman is closing in on 200 games in his NHL career, but doesn’t represent much more than an injury replacement or taxi squad filler at this point. For his cap hit of $1.63MM that’s not enough, meaning it should come as much of a surprise that he finds himself on waivers.

By moving Harrington to the taxi squad or waivers, the Blue Jackets can bury $1.075MM of his cap hit. He also appears to be a potential buyout candidate for the summer when he will still have one year remaining on his deal. Despite the fact that he is a defenseman, Harrington also seems unlikely to be claimed given his cap hit.

Anton Stralman Clears Waivers

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Saturday: As expected, Stralman has cleared waivers, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston.

Friday: The Florida Panthers are in a position to compete for the Stanley Cup, and now may be trying to clear a little cap room for the stretch run. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the team has placed Anton Stralman on waivers today. The veteran defenseman carries a $5.5MM cap hit through the 2021-22 season, $1.075MM of which can be buried if placed on the taxi squad.

Because of that contract, exposing Stralman to the rest of the league comes with virtually no risk. There aren’t any teams out there looking to bring in that much money for a veteran nearing the end of his career, even if Stralman does have plenty of playoff experience. In fact, even the Panthers aren’t playing him every night, and when they do he is receiving fewer and fewer minutes. After averaging more than 20 minutes in each of the last six seasons, Stralman has only cracked 18 once since the start of March. Last night in a 3-0 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, he played just 14:18.

The simple fact is that the Panthers have better options than the 34-year-old at this point and could even be potentially looking to bring more in at the deadline. The team recently sent Noah Juulsen to the AHL on a conditioning loan, meaning he is nearly back from injury, and there are other names more deserving of the nightly ice time.

Still, waiving Stralman doesn’t mean they’re cutting him. Once he clears, the team will be able to move him back and forth from the taxi squad between games to bank additional cap space while still using him whenever necessary. There’s also the chance another team could be interested if the Panthers retain salary, especially should he clear waivers.

It’s been a great career for the veteran defenseman, even if it is approaching the end. The 216th-overall pick in 2005 by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Stralman proved everyone wrong when he reached the NHL as a regular just a few years later. Now, after 847 regular season games and 108 more postseason contests, he may be shifting to a part-time role with the contending Panthers.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Christian Wolanin Clears Waivers

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March 26: Wolanin has cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the taxi squad or minor leagues.

March 25: The Ottawa Senators have placed Christian Wolanin on waivers today, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The team recalled Braydon Coburn from the taxi squad earlier today, suggesting he’ll be in the lineup against the Maple Leafs tonight.

Wolanin, 26, made the Senators roster immediately after signing out of the University of North Dakota in 2018, but hasn’t been able to keep a grip on that spot in the years since. With just 58 games of NHL experience, he is heading towards an offseason where he will become a Group VI unrestricted free agent. That is unless he plays 22 games down the stretch, something that would require quite a bit of luck given the Senators only have 21 remaining. If he were claimed and quickly forced through the quarantine protocols it is possible, but very unlikely at this point.

The fact that the Senators allowed him to reach that status in the first place is puzzling, given how little they are playing for this season. The team is not in contention for a playoff spot and are basically letting an asset reach free agency unnecessarily. Still, perhaps they were not planning on giving Wolanin a qualifying offer anyway as he comes off a season where he is earning $1MM on a one-way deal.

The 6’2″ defenseman has never been mistaken for a top-pairing player, but he does have the ability to fit into an NHL lineup in a depth role. Given there is no commitment past this season he could potentially be claimed, though skaters have passed through waivers unscathed routinely this year.

Leo Komarov Clears Waivers

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March 24: As expected, Komarov has cleared waivers and can now bounce between the taxi squad and roster whenever necessary.

March 23: In what has become a monthly routine, the New York Islanders have placed Leo Komarov on waivers today according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. The veteran forward has already cleared waivers twice this season, once on January 13 and once on February 13, but continues to suit up and play with the Islanders. Last night he even started on the team’s first line, but if they want to move him to the taxi squad he needed to clear again since more than a month has passed.

Komarov, 34, has just two points in 16 games for the team this season and hasn’t totaled more than seven goals in a single year since the 2016-17 campaign. The bang-and-crash winger is capable defensively, but the offensive output that once got him selected to the All-Star game has completely dried up. Still, he seems to still be a favorite of head coach Barry Trotz, who inserts him into the lineup on a regular basis to add some energy.

There is almost no way that Komarov is claimed this time around given how little cap space is available around the league. The veteran forward carries a $3MM cap hit through the end of next season, a number that far outstretches his on-ice contribution. More likely is he will clear and continue to play a part-time role on the Islanders down the stretch.

Vancouver Canucks Claim Travis Boyd

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If you don’t have depth, just take someone else’s. The Vancouver Canucks have claimed the second Toronto Maple Leafs forward in a few days, grabbing Travis Boyd off waivers today. Boyd will be following former linemate Jimmy Vesey to Vancouver, after the latter was claimed last week.

Boyd, 27, signed a one-year, $700K deal with the Maple Leafs in free agency and actually received a pretty substantial opportunity at the NHL level. In 20 games he recorded eight points, mostly working on the fourth line whenever he did get onto the roster. The former Washington Capital has carved out a career as a “tweener,” stuck somewhere between being an AHL star and NHL depth player. In 105 NHL games he has 39 points, but is nearly a point-per-game performer in the minor leagues.

For the Canucks, this move and the Vesey one are reminiscent of a team that is preparing to sell at the deadline. Both former Maple Leafs can be either flipped or fill the holes left by other trades, rather than really impact the fate of the Canucks down the stretch. Vancouver is 16-16-3 at this point in the season and though the playoffs are certainly not out of the picture, really competing for the Stanley Cup would be extremely difficult without massive improvement.

For the Maple Leafs, they obviously would have liked to get Vesey and Boyd through waivers, but will take the added cap space that their departures come with. The team is expected to be a big player at the trade deadline as they attempt to win a playoff round, or even perhaps get all the way to the Conference Finals given their route through the North Division.

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