Pittsburgh Penguins place Brock McGinn, Mark Friedman on waivers

The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed forward Brock McGinn and defenseman Mark Friedman on waivers.

McGinn has played 59 games for the Penguins this season, scoring 10 goals and 15 points with a -1 rating. Friedman has split the season between Pittsburgh and the Penguins’ AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barrie Scranton Penguins. In 11 games for the Penguins this year, he has one goal. He has five points in 19 AHL games, along with a +5 rating.

As the NHL gears toward the March 3 trade deadline, the Penguins are positioning themselves to make moves. According to CapFriendly.com, Pittsburgh has a projected $474,000 in cap space, so the team is attempting to move some money out with three days to go until the deadline.

Friedman has two years remaining on his contract with an AAV of $775,000 annually. That isn’t a huge salary but could go a long way for the team if he gets claimed or sent down to the minors.

McGinn is a little surprising as he is a veteran player and a solid bottom-six player. The 29-year-old winger makes $2,750,000 annually through 2024-25. He’s a solid depth contributor, but also looks to be the odd-man out for the Penguins’ deadline plans.

McGinn’s contract is a bit tricky. If he goes unclaimed and is sent down to the minors, the team will still be on the hook for more than $1.6 million this year.

McGinn is currently ranked 37th on Frank Seravalli’s most recent trade targets list. The Penguins already gave up Kasperi Kapanen on waivers to St. Louis and McGinn could be the next player out the door.

McGinn has 143 points in 468 games in his NHL career and Friedman has 10 points in 53 career games.