NHL Hockey Player News

Eric Comrie(G)|WPG
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Coyotes have claimed Eric Comrie off of waivers from the Jets.

Comrie was a second-round pick of the Jets in 2013 and has appeared in just five NHL games since. Last year he was 25-20-2 with a 2.69 GAA, .917 SV% and two shutouts in Manitoba (AHL) last year. Comrie provides a little extra goaltending depth for the Coyotes, who had to dip into the minor leagues last year because of a long-term Antti Raanta injury.

Source:
Elliotte Friedman 2019-10-01T16:21:10.395Z
Eric Comrie
Carl Dahlstrom(D)|TOR
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Jets have claimed Carl Dahlstrom off of waivers from the Blackhawks.

Dahlstrom was originally selected in the second round of the 2013 NHL Draft and has appeared in 49 NHL games over the last two seasons. The 24-year-old has spent most of his time in the AHL, where he had eight points (1G / 7A) in 22 games last year but will serve as an extra defenseman in Winnipeg this season.

Source:
Elliotte Friedman 2019-10-01T16:17:21.870Z
Carl Dahlstrom
Micheal Haley(C)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Sharks claimed Michael Haley off of waivers from the Panthers.

Haley is a veteran fourth-line grinder, who has just one goal and two assists while averaging just 7:30 TOI/gm in 24 games this season. Haley had three goals, 10 assists (13 points) and 187 PIMS in 78 games from 2015-to-2017 while playing with the Sharks.

Source:
Pierre LeBrun 2019-02-20T18:46:50.807Z
Micheal Haley
Kenny Agostino(LW)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Devils have claimed Kenny Agostino off of waivers from Montreal.

Agostino has always been a dominant scorer at the AHL-level but has just 17 points (4G / 13A) in 58 career NHL games, including just 11 points (2G / 9A) in 36 games with the Canadiens this season. Agostino essentially takes the spot of Brian Boyle, who was dealt to Nashville last week. He should start in the Devils’ bottom-6.

Source:
Elliotte Friedman 2019-02-11T17:16:10.591Z
Kenny Agostino
Colby Cave(C)|
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Oilers have claimed Colby Cave off of waivers from the Bruins.

Cave, 24, was called up by the Bruins earlier this season after picking up 18 points (6G / 12A) in 15 games with Providence (AHL). With Boston, Cave had just one goal and four assists in 20 games before being waived on Monday. Cave will help address the Oilers centre depth and should allow Leon Draisaitl to continue to play with Connor McDavid.

Source:
Elliotte Friedman 2019-01-15T17:04:55.158Z
Colby Cave
Mike McKenna(G)|
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Flyers have claimed Mike McKenna off of waivers from the Canucks.

McKenna was acquired from the Senators earlier this week before being placed on waivers in order to send him to Utica (AHL). However, the Flyers goaltending situation has been a disaster this season so McKenna could allow them to return Carter Hart to Lehigh Valley (AHL) to get some playing time. The 35-year-old veteran has a 3.58 GAA and .892 SV% in 34 career NHL games.

Source:
Elliotte Friedman 2019-01-04T17:19:05.637Z
Mike McKenna
Phil Di Giuseppe(LW)|VAN
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Predators have claimed Phil Di Giuseppe off of waivers from the Hurricanes.

Di Giuseppe has been a healthy scratch for the last four games and has just four points (1G / 3A) in 21 games with the Hurricanes this season. The 25-year-old will be a depth forward for the Predators—he has 14 goals and 27 assists (41 points) in 147 career NHL games.

Source:
Stephen Whyno 2019-01-01T17:49:19.493Z
Phil Di Giuseppe
Chad Johnson(G)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Ducks have claimed Chad Johnson off of waivers from the Blues.

Claiming Johnson suggests that Ryan Miller’s lower-body injury is going to cost him a good chunk of time. The Ducks have not provided an update on Miller’s status but expect Johnson to serve as John Gibson’s backup moving forward.

Source:
Elliotte Friedman 2018-12-11T17:08:34.872Z
Chad Johnson
Brendan Leipsic(LW)|
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Kings have claimed Brendan Leipsic off of waivers from the Canucks.

Leipsic is the second forward that the Kings have claimed off of waivers in less than a week. Leipsic has bounced around the NHL a little bit but has produced some decent numbers at every stop. In total, he has 30 points (8G / 22A) in 81 career NHL games and should help the Kings top-9 that is lacking talent.

Source:
Elliotte Friedman 2018-12-03T17:08:08.748Z
Brendan Leipsic
Valentin Zykov(RW)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Oilers have claimed Valentin Zykov off of waivers from the Hurricanes.

Zykov was a second-round pick (No.37 overall) in 2013 and has accumulated 11 points (4G / 7A) in 25 career NHL games. The 23-year-old has posted outstanding numbers at the AHL level and could be a serviceable fantasy asset if he plays big minutes in the Oilers’ top-6.

Source:
Elliotte Friedman 2018-11-30T17:14:28.541Z
Valentin Zykov
Jean-Sebastien Dea(C)|ARI
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Penguins have claimed Jean-Sebastian Dea off of waivers from the Devils.

Dea broke into the NHL with the Penguins and spent four years in their organization with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL). The 24-year-old had just six games of NHL experience before this season but had five points (3G / 2A) in 20 games with the Devils before they waived him.

Source:
Chris Johnston 2018-11-29T17:12:48.159Z
Jean-Sebastien Dea
Calvin Pickard(G)|EDM
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Coyotes have claimed Calvin Pickard off of waivers from the Flyers.

The Coyotes are dealing with some goaltending injuries right now with both Antti Raanta and Darcy Kuemper ailing. Pickard had some ups and downs with the Flyers this season, ultimately posting a 4-2-2 record, 4.01 GAA and .863 SV% in 11 games.

Source:
Chris Johnston 2018-11-29T17:10:47.439Z
Calvin Pickard
Marko Dano(C)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Jets have claimed Marko Dano off of waivers from Colorado.

The Jets lost Dano on waivers to Colorado earlier this season but just returned the favour this afternoon. Dano did not pick up a point in eight games with the Avalanche and had just three points (2G / 1A) in 23 games with the Jets last season.

Source:
Elliotte Friedman 2018-11-23T17:23:13.772Z
Marko Dano
Marko Dano(C)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Avalanche have claimed Marko Dano off of waivers from the Jets.

Dano was a first round pick (No.27 overall) in 2013 but had just two goals and one assist in 23 games with the Jets last season. A deep lineup in Winnipeg forced Dano to play a third or fourth line role, but he could get a bigger chance with the Avalanche, who are devoid of middle-6 wingers.

Source:
Bob McKenzie 2018-10-15T16:09:18.709Z
Marko Dano
Remi Elie(LW)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Sabres have claimed Remi Elie off of waivers from Dallas.

Elie was a second-round pick of the Stars (No.40 overall) in 2013, but has picked up just 21 points (7G / 14A) in 90 career NHL games. Elie hasn’t had a lot of offensive success at the AHL-level either, so he could have a tough time cracking a suddenly deep Sabres lineup.

Source:
Mark Stepneski 2018-10-03T03:45:30.133Z
Remi Elie

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.