Seattle Kraken place Jaycob Megna on waivers for purpose of reassignment

The Seattle Kraken have announced that they’ve placed defenseman Jaycob Megna on waivers to reassign him to the AHL.

Megna, 31, had been a healthy scratch for the past 10 games after he was recalled to the Kraken from a conditioning stint in the AHL. With no sign of him returning to the lineup, the Kraken have opted to waive him to get him playing time in the AHL. At this time, there’s no indication as to what this transaction may be in response to for the Kraken.

Megna hasn’t played a game all season for the Kraken, with his only action this season coming in that two-game conditioning stint in the AHL with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, where he had one goal. He did play 54 games in the NHL last season between the San Jose Sharks and the Kraken, with one goal and 11 assists for 12 points, all of those coming with the Sharks.

When he’s been able to get playing time in the NHL, he’s been one of the better defensive defensemen in the league. Out of the 220 defensemen to play at least 1500 minutes of ice time since the 2021-22 season, Megna ranks 59th in defensive goals above replacement per 60 minutes with 0.141, courtesy of Evolving Hockey.

Megna was a seventh-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks in the 2012 NHL Draft, and spent six seasons in the organization, including parts of three of them at the NHL level with the Ducks. He then spent a season with the Vegas Golden Knights organization in the AHL, followed by parts of two with the Sharks before he was traded to the Kraken for a fourth-round pick.

Megna is in the final year of a two-year deal with a $762,500 cap hit, and will be an unrestricted free agent in the 2024 offseason.

The Kraken will look to extend their nine-game point streak when they host the Ottawa Senators on Thursday at 10 p.m. EST. They currently sit in fourth in the Pacific Division with a 15-14-9 record, and are one point behind the Arizona Coyotes for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference.