NHL Waiver Wire

Seth Griffith(C)|EDM
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Maple Leafs have reclaimed Seth Griffith off of waivers from Florida and sent him to Toronto (AHL).

Griffith picked up five assists in 21 games with the Panthers after being claimed from Toronto earlier in the year. The 24-year-old has great hands, but the consensus seems to be that he doesn’t have the speed to be a regular NHLer. Griffith will head to the AHL—he had 77 points (24G / 53A) in 57 AHL games with Providence last season.

Source:
Chris Johnston 2017-01-20T14:46:45.000Z
Seth Griffith
Brad Hunt(LD)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Predators have claimed Brad Hunt off of waivers from St. Louis.

The Predators are without their top two defenseman, P.K. Subban and Roman Josi, so adding Hunt just adds some much-needed depth right now. Hunt played well with the Blues, scoring one goal with four assists (five points) in nine games before being a healthy scratch for three games and ultimately being waived.

Source:
Bob McKenzie 2017-01-17T12:44:29.000Z
Brad Hunt
Derek Grant(C)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Predators have claimed Derek Grant off of waivers from Buffalo.

Grant has picked up three assists and 19 penalty minutes across 35 games with the Sabres this season. The Sabers will planning to send him to Rochester (AHL), but the Predators have added some depth to their fourth line and sent Frederik Gauthier to Milwaukee (AHL).

Source:
Bob McKenzie 2017-01-11T13:22:55.000Z
Derek Grant
Curtis McElhinney(G)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Maple Leafs have claimed Curtis McElhinney off of waivers from Columbus.

McElhinney has gone 2-1-2 with a 2.39 GAA and .924 SV% in just seven appearances (five starts) this season, but had one of the worst seasons of his career a year ago and has a sub-par career .905 SV%. The Maple Leafs clearly wanted Antoine Bibeau in the AHL and the veteran McElhinney is a low-cost option to backup Frederik Andersen, who will see the vast majority of starts in the second half.

Source:
Chris Johnston 2017-01-10T12:15:09.000Z
Curtis McElhinney
Reid Boucher(C)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Canucks have claimed Reid Boucher off of waivers from New Jersey.

A day after being re-claimed off of waivers from Nashville, the Devils placed Boucher on waivers again and now he’s found a job in western Canada with the Canucks. The former fourth round pick (2011) had 62 goals and 33 assists (95 points) in 68 games in his final year in the OHL and had 32 points (19G / 13A) in 34 AHL games last season, showcasing his offensive ability, but he now needs to find that game at the highest level.

Source:
Chris Johnston 2017-01-04T12:18:17.000Z
Reid Boucher
Ty Rattie(RW)|
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Hurricanes have claimed Ty Rattie off of waivers from St. Louis.

Rattie has only appeared in four games with the Blues this season, failing to record a point while averaging just 7:20 TOI. The Blues were obviously hoping he’d fall to the AHL to get some playing time, but the Hurricanes had other ideas. Rattie was the No.32 pick in 2011, but has only managed to put up eight points (4G / 4A) in 30 career NHL games despite putting up excellent numbers in the WHL and the AHL after being drafted.

Source:
Elliotte Friedman 2017-01-04T12:15:39.000Z
Ty Rattie
Alex Burmistrov(C)|
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Coyotes have claimed Alex Burmistrov off of waivers from Winnipeg.

Burmistrov has been sidelined since December 6th, but is ready to return from injury, but it will be in a different uniform. Burmistrov has just two assists in 23 games this season after picking up 21 points (7G / 14A) in 81 games last year.

Source:
Elliotte Friedman 2017-01-02T12:43:44.000Z
Alex Burmistrov
Reid Boucher(C)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Devils have claimed Reid Boucher off of waivers from Nashville.

Boucher started the year with the Devils, where he collected two assists in nine games before being put on waivers and being claimed by Nashville on December 3rd. He only appeared in three games with the Predators and recorded one goal. He returns to New Jersey, where he has 11 goals and 18 assists (20 points) in 82 games.

Source:
Elliotte Friedman 2017-01-02T12:38:42.000Z
Reid Boucher
Jaroslav Halak(G)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Islanders have placed Jaroslav Halak on waivers.

The Islanders came into 2016-17 with three goalies on the roster and after a superb performance at the World Cup of hockey, Halak struggled in the Isles’ crease. The 31-year-old made 20 starts and went 6-8-5 with a 3.23 GAA and .904 SV%. It was a big drop-off from his numbers over the last two seasons in Brooklyn and has landed him on waivers. A team in-need of help in net like Ottawa or Los Angeles may claim him, but his $4.5M cap-hit may scare some teams off. We could see Halak heading to Bridgeport (AHL) at this time tomorrow.

Source:
Bob McKenzie 2016-12-30T12:40:33.000Z
Jaroslav Halak
Matt Puempel(LW)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Rangers have claimed Matt Puempel off of waivers from the Senators.

Puempel, 23, was a first round pick (24th overall) in 2011, but has yet to make a splash at the NHL level. He has failed to record a point in 13 games with the Senators this season. Puempel had 17 goals and 13 assists (30 points) in 34 games with Binghamton (AHL) last year and has been claimed by the Rangers because they’ll be without Mika Zibanejad for 6-8 weeks.

Source:
Chris Johnston 2016-11-21T14:45:44.000Z
Matt Puempel
Seth Griffith(C)|EDM
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Florida Panthers have claimed Seth Griffith off of waivers from the Maple Leafs.

Griffith, 23, failed to record a point in three games with the Maple Leafs after being claimed from Boston, but now he heads to Florida where he’ll likely be given a bigger opportunity. Griffith had 77 points (24G / 53A) in 57 games with Providence (AHL) last season.

Source:
Kristen Shilton 2016-11-12T12:27:12.000Z
Seth Griffith
Martin Frk(RW)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Red Wings have claimed Martin Frk on waivers and sent him to Grand Rapids (AHL).

The Red Wings lost Frk on waivers before the season started, but he only appeared in two games with the Hurricanes before finding himself back on waivers on Monday. Frk returns to Grand Rapids, where he had 27 goals and 17 assists (44 points) in 67 games last year.

Source:
Ansar Khan 2016-11-01T12:18:23.000Z
Martin Frk
Sven Andrighetto(RW)|
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Waiver Move
The Canadiens have placed Sven Andrighetto on waivers.

Andrighetto, 23, split his 2015-16 season between the AHL and NHL. With St. John’s (AHL) he collected 23 points (10G / 13A) in 26 games and had 17 points (7G / 10A) in 44 games with the Canadiens. It wouldn't be shocking if another team claims Swiss winger.

Source:
Elliotte Friedman 2016-10-14T12:18:26.000Z
Sven Andrighetto
Emerson Etem(RW)|
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Anaheim Ducks have claimed Emerson Etem off of waivers from the Canucks.

Etem was originally drafted by the Ducks back in 2010 (29th overall) and played with their organization until the 2014-15 season before ending up with the Rangers and then the Canucks last year. He hasn’t lived up to the billing of a first round pick, having collected just 46 points (22G / 24A) in 170 NHL games.

Source:
Elliotte Friedman 2016-10-13T12:15:02.000Z
Emerson Etem

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.