Tampa Bay Lightning claim Rudolfs Balcers off waivers
Rudolfs Balcers is changing sides in the Battle of Florida.
According to Elliotte Friedman, the Tampa Bay Lightning have claimed Balcers off of waivers from the Florida Panthers…
The Lightning have added Forward Rudolfs Balcers through waivers from Florida #GoBolts
Balcers had 2 goals and 2 assists in 14 games for the Panthers this season. He has 27 career goals in parts of 5 seasons with Florida, Ottawa and San Jose. https://t.co/clKM0LaylF
The San Jose Sharks selected Balcers in the fifth round of the 2015 NHL Draft with a pick they had acquired from the New York Islanders in exchange for defenseman Dan Boyle. In September of 2018, Balcers was traded to the Ottawa Senators in the deal that sent Erik Karlsson to San Jose.
Balcers made his NHL debut with the Senators during the 2018-19 season and scored 14 points over the course of 36 games. He split the 2019-20 season between the NHL and AHL and later got claimed off of waivers by the Sharks in January of 2021.
Over two seasons with the Sharks, Balcers scored 40 points in 102 games. The Sharks inked him to a two-year, $3.1 million deal in June of 2021 and bought out the second year of the contract back in July.
As a free agent, Balcers signed a one-year, $735k contract to join the Florida Panthers. He made the team out of training camp and scored two goals and four points over 14 games before getting placed on waivers on Friday.