NHL Hockey Player News

Juuso Valimaki(D)|UTA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Coyotes claimed Juuso Valimaki off waivers from the Flames.

Valimaki was a first-round pick in 2017 and has collected 16 points (3G / 13A) in 82 career NHL games with the Flames. Last season he spent most of the year in Stockton (AHL), where he had 18 points (2G / 16A) in 35 games. In Arizona, he should be able to land a role on the third pairing.

Source:
Arizona Coyotes 2022-10-10T12:08:02.142Z
Juuso Valimaki
Magnus Hellberg(G)|DAL
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Senators have claimed Magnus Hellberg off waivers from the Kraken.

With Cam Talbot out five-to-seven weeks, the Senators have claimed Hellberg to serve as their No.2 behind Anton Forsberg to open the season. Hellberg spent the last five seasons in the KHL before joining the Red Wings last April. Overall, he's 2-0-0 with a .869 SV% in five career NHL games with the Predators, Rangers, and Red Wings.

Source:
Chris Johnston 2022-10-03T18:18:37.230Z
Magnus Hellberg
Radim Zohorna(RW)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Flames have claimed Radio Zohorna off waivers from the Penguins.

Zohorna was an undrafted free agent that signed with the Penguins in 2021 after seven years in the Czech Extraliga. The 6-foot-6, 220 lbs. winger has spent most of his time in North America in the AHL but has 10 points (4G / 6A) in 25 career NHL games.

Source:
@NHLFlames 2022-10-03T18:11:47.510Z
Radim Zohorna
Jonas Johansson(G)|TBL
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Coyotes have claimed Jonas Johansson on waivers from the Avalanche.

Since being taken in the third-round of the 2014 NHL Draft, Johansson has appeared in just 32 NHL games. He's gone 9-13-4 with a 3.46 GAA and .882 SV% with the Sabres, Avalanche and Panthers. Arizona may be the only destination where Johansson could actually land a backup role in the NHL for the 2022-23 season.

Source:
Elliotte Friedman 2022-09-30T18:18:27.325Z
Jonas Johansson
Gerald Mayhew(C)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Ducks have claimed Gerry Mayhew off of waivers from the Flyers.

Mayhew has had a good year in both the AHL and NHL. During his time with the Flyers, he scored six goals in 25 games and provides some depth in Anaheim, where bodies are expected to continue to be shipped out before Monday's trade deadline.

Source:
Elliotte Friedman 2022-03-20T18:16:34.527Z
Gerald Mayhew
Andrej Sustr(RD)|ANA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Ducks have claimed Andrej Sustr off of waivers from the Lightning.

Sustr signed with the Ducks in 2018, appearing in five games with the Ducks and 39 games with San Diego (AHL). He left for the KHL for a couple of seasons before returning to North America with the Lightning this year. He had one goal in 15 games with Tampa Bay before being waived on Monday.

Source:
Elliotte Friedman 2022-03-08T19:05:15.314Z
Andrej Sustr
Austin Czarnik(C)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Islanders claimed Austin Czarnik off of waivers from the Kraken.

Czarnik was originally claimed by the Kraken on February 8th but was reclaimed by the Islanders less than one month later. Because no one else submitted a claim for the 29-year-old, the Islanders were able to reassign him to Bridgeport (AHL). He has 15 points (6G / 9A) in 20 AHL games this season.

Source:
@NYIslanders 2022-03-07T12:40:48.593Z
Austin Czarnik
Olli Juolevi(D)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Red Wings claimed Olli Juolevi off of waivers from the Panthers.

Juolevi was the No.5 overall pick in 2016 but injuries derailed his career to this point. Since coming to North America in 2019, Juolevi has only played in 99 games between the AHL and NHL--an average of 24.8 games per season. So far this season, he has zero points in 10 games with the Panthers. He is a low-risk addition for the Red Wings, who were likely looking to add some depth before they unload some players at the trade deadline.

Source:
@DetroitRedWings 2022-03-07T12:37:57.806Z
Olli Juolevi
Marian Studenic(RW)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Stars have claimed Marian Studenic off of waivers from the Devils.

With three players returning from injury on Thursday, Studneic was waived on Wednesday to make room on the roster. The 23-year-old was a fifth-round pick in 2017 and has scored one goal in 17 games with New Jersey this season. The Stars waived Tanner Kero in a corresponding move.

Source:
Saad Yousuf 2022-02-24T19:08:00.506Z
Marian Studenic
Ryan Dzingel(LW)|CAR
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Sharks have claimed Ryan Dzingel off of waivers from the Maple Leafs.

Dzingel was acquired from the Coyotes on Saturday and waived on Sunday. Dzingel, who is on a one-year deal that pays him $1.1 million, has scored four goals with three assists (seven points) in 26 games this season. Dzingel will likely find a spot in the Sharks' bottom-6.

Source:
Elliotte Friedman 2022-02-21T19:05:23.130Z
Ryan Dzingel
Gemel Smith(C)|TBL
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Lightning have claimed Gemel Smith off of waivers from the Red Wings.

Smith was recently claimed off of waivers from Tampa Bay, appearing in three games with the Red Wings. He had one assist with Detroit and will return to Tampa Bay, where he could head to Syracuse (AHL) without having to clear again as long as no other team had a claim in for him.

Source:
Chris Johnston 2022-02-19T19:10:16.275Z
Gemel Smith
Adam Brooks(C)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Maple Leafs have claimed Adam Brooks off of waivers from the Golden Knights.

This is the third time that Brooks has been claimed this season. He was originally claimed from Toronto by Montreal, then by Vegas. He had two goals in seven games with the Golden Knights and has a total of three points (2G / 1A) in 11 games this season.

Source:
Chris Johnston 2022-02-16T19:38:05.502Z
Adam Brooks
Gemel Smith(C)|TBL
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Red Wings have claimed Gemel Smith off of waivers from the Lightning.

Smith has not played this season due to a lower-body injury suffered in training camp. With him nearing a return to the lineup, he was waived in order to send him to the AHL. Detroit claimed him and now he joins his brother, Givani, with the Red Wings. Smith has 24 points (12G / 12A) in 88 career NHL games with the Stars and Lightning.

Source:
Elliotte Friedman 2022-01-19T19:08:58.782Z
Gemel Smith

NHL Waiver Wire

The NHL implemented the waiver wire to uphold a “competitive balance” in the league. Before the waiver wire, clubs hoarded players and ensured their opponents couldn’t access them. Those players would get sent to the minors and basically get buried, stunting any chance for them to make a name for themselves in the big league. As you can imagine, not only was hoarding players in the minors a hindrance to other teams, but it was also a hindrance to the players themselves. Eventually, things had to change, and that’s when the NHL waiver wire came into play: no longer can a player be buried in the minors (unless nobody wants them).

Types of Waivers

Nevertheless, the NHL wavier wire can be a bit nuanced to a newcomer. Don’t worry, we break it down and do a quick deep dive into the nuts and bolts.

Regular NHL Waivers

Teams will use what NHL executives call “regular waivers” to move players to the minors. Players on entry-level contracts are usually waiver wire exempt, which means teams can send them up and down as they please without risking them being claimed by another team. Players who aren’t waiver wire exempt will usually make the headlines since they can be placed on waivers. Most players playing in the minors are waiver wire exempt. That’s why they get sent up and down so freely throughout the course of a season. Obviously, it’s on a case-by-case basis.

Return Waivers

“Re-entry waivers” used to exist before the NHL and the NHLPA eliminated the clause in the 2012 collective bargaining agreement. The clause was originally put in place because some teams would bury players in the minors, hoping they would pick up their game a bit and call them back up. If such a great thing happened, the team could call them back up without penalty. Too many teams learned to hoard players, so to encourage fairness and do right by the players, the return or “re-entry waivers process” was implemented. When ironing out a new CBA, both sides wanted to tinker with the waiver wire process. A part of that tinkering was getting rid of “re-entry waivers.”

Unconditional Waivers

When a team puts a player on unconditional waivers, it’s usually because the team wants to terminate their contract or buy them out. A contract termination can come about because a player breached their contract. In other words, as a disciplinary action. The more common form is a buyout. The player didn’t breach their contract; it’s just the management most likely determined the player sucks and wants to get rid of as much of the player’s cap hit as humanly possible.

A Quick Word On One and Two-Way Contracts

There’s a common misconception that NHL fans make when referring to one and two-way contracts. What some fans think is if a player is on a one-way deal, they can’t be sent to the minors without going through waivers. Players who are signed to two-way deals can be sent back and forth to the minors freely. Without getting too far into the nuts and bolts, that’s not always the case. You can blame EA Sports’ “Be A GM” mode for that belief.

Generally, a one-way deal ensures that players’ salaries remain the same whether they’re in the minors or the NHL. For example, if a goalie makes $3.55 million in the NHL and gets sent down to the AHL because he couldn’t stop a beach ball, he’ll still make the full $3.55 million in the minors. A player who’s on a two-way contract makes a higher salary in the NHL and a lower one in the AHL. One and two-way deals don’t solely determine waiver wire eligibility.

Time Restrictions Around NHL Waivers

The waiver wire goes into effect 12 days before the start of the regular season and lasts until the day after a team’s regular season is over. Any moves after that are more or less off the books unless certain conditions are met. Then, things get tricky.

When a player gets put on the waiver wire, there’s a 24-hour period where other NHL teams can determine if they want to take a shot on the player and their contract. If a team wants to take a leap of faith and claim the forsaken player, they must wait and see which other teams make a claim. If the worst team in the league (based on the current standings and future projections) makes a claim and the best team also bites on the waived player, the worst team will get the player in the name of “fairness.”

It’s not very often that many teams make a claim on a single player because most teams use the waiver wire to clear cap space. That said, it does happen once or twice a season when a good team is forced to make a tough decision on a decent player.

Strategy Behind NHL Waivers

There are many reasons why NHL transactions will revolve around waiver wire moves. Below, we compiled those reasons and sought to explain the strategy behind each.

Salary Cap

As we alluded to earlier, most players are put on waivers because they’re not living up to their contracts. The front office of the team they play for wants to bury the contract in the minors to open up room for someone who’s worth the money. It’s a harsh truth, but the NHL is a business, and everyone is always looking for a good return on investment. If a player sucks, sometimes that’s what needs to happen, no matter how difficult it might be to pull off.

Contract Termination

For players who are on longer deals, burying them in the minors for the duration of their contract might not be worthwhile. It might just be easier to buy them out or even terminate their contract. Most of the time, when a player gets bought out, the team buying out the player must still pay a cap penalty. That said, it’s usually preferable for NHL executives rather than eating the cap hit and being unable to bolster their team via trades and free agency.

Bad contracts in the NHL are a dime a dozen, so front offices use things like unconditional waivers to move on from their mistakes. Of course, they still take a fat L, but in the same sense, they’ll get some flexibility and a chance to move on. So too does the player.

Moves to the Minor League

At the end of the day, all an NHL general manager really wants to do is send a player to the minors because they’re underperforming. It just so happens the player isn’t waiver wire exempt, and that’s the way she goes. Mind you, in those situations, many people in the front office will know that these players are less likely to get claimed because their value is limited to other teams. In that sense, NHL front offices will feel more comfortable making those moves.

Let’s be honest, even if these players get claimed, odds are they’ll be back on the waiver wire at some point during the season, in which they can be reclaimed. If not, as crappy as this may sound, the player is replaceable.