NHL Hockey Player News

Teemu Pulkkinen(LW)|
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Wild have claimed Teemu Pulkkinen off of waivers from the Red Wings.

Pulkkinen had a tough time landing a permanent spot in the Red Wings lineup after a breakout AHL season in 2014-15. Pulkkinen had 61 points (34G / 27A) in 46 games with Grand Rapids but has only picked up 20 points (11G / 9A) in 67 NHL games since. Pulkkinen has a lethal shot and could crack the Wild’s top-9.

Source:
Chris Johnston 2016-10-11T12:38:46.000Z
Teemu Pulkkinen
Zbynek Michalek(D)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Coyotes have placed Zbynek Michalek on waivers.

Michalek, 33, has picked up just 29 points (8G / 21A) over the last three seasons and his physical brand of defence can be made up by a younger blueliner in Arizona. The Coyotes have an abundance of young defensemen and Michalek appears to be on the outside looking in.

Source:
James Mirtle 2016-10-10T15:19:10.000Z
Zbynek Michalek
P.A. Parenteau(RW)|
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Islanders have placed P.A. Parenteau on waivers.

Parenteau being waived was one of the biggest surprises of training camp. The veteran winger signed a one year deal with the Islanders this summer in the hope that he would be able to rekindle his old chemistry with John Tavares. However, it looks as if the Islanders would rather get a little younger and have someone like Mathew Barzal or Josh Ho Sang instead of the 33-year-old Parenteau.

Source:
James Mirtle 2016-10-10T15:15:04.000Z
P.A. Parenteau
Teemu Pulkkinen(LW)|
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Red Wings have placed Teemu Pulkkinen on waivers.

Pulkkinen, 24, is only one year removed from posting ridiculous numbers with Grand Rapids in the AHL. The Finnish winger had 34 goals and 27 assists (61 points) in 46 games that year, but has struggled to get regular playing time in Detroit ever since. Pulkkinen has a lethal shot, but scouts say he may lack the foot speed necessary to have a huge impact at the NHL level. So far, he has just 11 goals and nine assists (20 points) in 70 career NHL games, but still has a ton of upside, so don’t be surprised if a team doesn’t hesitate to add him to their roster for free.

Source:
James Mirtle 2016-10-10T15:11:22.000Z
Teemu Pulkkinen
Erik Condra(RW)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Lightning have placed Erik Condra on waivers.

Condra had 11 points (6G / 5A) in 54 games in his first year with the Lightning, but finds himself on waivers, where he will likely clear and head to the AHL. If Condra is picked up by another team, he will be limited to a fourth line role.

Source:
James Mirtle 2016-10-10T15:08:54.000Z
Erik Condra
Anton Lander(C)|
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Oilers have placed Anton Lander on waivers.

Lander, 25, enjoyed a nice finish to the 2014-15 season, which led to high expectations last year. He was never able to live up to them, picking up an awful three points (1G / 2A) in 61 games with the Oilers. The former second round pick has been placed on waivers with the intention of sending him to Oklahoma City (AHL) and he should go unclaimed.

Source:
James Mirtle 2016-10-10T15:07:37.000Z
Anton Lander
Ondrej Pavelec(G)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Jets have placed Ondrej Pavelec on waivers.

It was only a matter of time before Pavelec was placed on waivers. The veteran netminder is in the final year of a deal that carries a $3.9 million cap hit and he was badly outplayed by the future of the Jets’ crease, Connor Hellebuyck. They had to make room for the young netminder and Pavelec was the obvious casualty. There is little chance that he is claimed and there are rumblings that he may not report to Manitoba (AHL) if he does in fact clear.

Source:
James Mirtle 2016-10-10T15:06:11.000Z
Ondrej Pavelec
Mike Condon(G)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Canadiens have placed Mike Condon on waivers.

Condon, 26, enjoyed a nice 2015-16 season while Carey Price was out, going 21-25-3 with a 2.71 GAA and .903 SV%. With Al Montoya coming over from Florida, Condon is either headed to the AHL or could be claimed by a team in need of short-term help in net because of injury, like the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Source:
James Mirtle 2016-10-10T15:04:03.000Z
Mike Condon
Martin Frk(RW)|CAL
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Hurricanes claimed Martin Frk off of waivers from the Red Wings on Sunday.

Frk, 23, was a second round pick (49th overall) in 2012, but never cracked the Red Wings roster. The Czech winger appeared in 67 games with Grand Rapids (AHL) a season ago, collecting 27 goals and 17 assists (44 points). Frk will join his former teammate Andrej Nestrasil as waiver claims from Detroit in Carolina.

Source:
www.newsobserver.com 2016-10-10T15:01:22.000Z
Martin Frk
Linden Vey(RW)|
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Flames placed Linden Vey on waivers on Friday.

Vey, 25, spent all of last year with the Canucks organization, picking up just 15 points (4G / 11A) in 41 games at the NHL level. He was unable to crack the Flames opening night roster so if he clears waivers he will head to Stockton (AHL).

Source:
Wes Gilbertson 2016-10-07T18:02:13.000Z
Linden Vey
Scott Mayfield(D)|NYI
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Islanders have placed Scott Mayfield on waivers.

Mayfield, 23, was the 34th overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, but has yet to make a big impact at the NHL level. The 6-foot-4, 225 lbs. blueliner has appeared in just 11 NHL games, tallying just one goal. There may be a team out there that lacks depth on the blueline that claims the St. Louis native.

Source:
General Fanager 2016-10-06T14:30:36.000Z
Scott Mayfield
Clayton Stoner(LD)|
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Ducks have placed Clayton Stoner on waivers.

Stoner has two seasons left on his contract that carries a $3.25M cap-hit. Waiving Stoner means that Shea Theodore may have earned himself a spot on the Ducks’ opening night roster or that they feel Josh Manson or Korbinian Holzer are just as good of options as Stoner for a significantly lesser cap-hit.

Source:
General Fanager 2016-10-06T14:28:47.000Z
Clayton Stoner
Ben Scrivens(G)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Canadiens will put Ben Scrivens on waivers.

The Canadiens signed Charlie Lindgren to a two-year contract to finish the season out with the Canadiens. With his signing, Montreal had to make room on the roster, so they have placed Ben Scrivens on waivers. Scrivens was 5-8-0 with a 3.07 GAA and .906 SV% in 15 games since being acquired from Edmonton.

Source:
Jonathan Bernier 2016-03-30T11:03:46.000Z
Ben Scrivens
Mike Brown(RW)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Canadiens have claimed Mike Brown off of waivers from San Jose.

Tough-guy Mike Brown has shifted in and out of the Sharks lineup this season, picking up one goal, two assists and 63 PIMS this season. The Canadiens have added him to give them a little extra grit in their bottom-6.

Source:
Bob McKenzie 2016-03-01T09:26:49.000Z
Mike Brown
Adam Cracknell(RW)|FA
Waiver Move
Waiver Move
The Oilers have claimed Adam Cracknell off of waivers from Vancouver.

Benoit Pouliot is out long-term with a shoulder injury, so the Oilers went out and picked up another big body off of the waiver wire. The 30-year-old is 6-foot-2, 210 lbs. and has 10 points (5G / 5A) in 44 games with the Canucks this season.

Source:
Bob McKenzie 2016-03-01T09:26:43.000Z
Adam Cracknell

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.