December 9: Garbutt has cleared waivers, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link).
December 8: According to Pierre LeBrun of ESPN, the Anaheim Ducks have decided to put forward Ryan Garbutt on waivers Thursday morning. This likely means the return of Rickard Rakell to the Ducks lineup is imminent, after missing the last few games with an upper-body injury. The team had brought up Stefan Noesen recently to fill in, but since the 23-year old is also waivers-eligible, the team doesn’t want to expose him by sending him back down.
Garbutt, signed to a three-year, $5.4MM deal in 2014 and is owed $2MM of actual salary this season (though, as Ducks8 points out down below, the Dallas Stars retained half of that hit) due to the back-loaded nature of the deal. Though the price tag is reduced, it still seems unlikely that he’ll be claimed as the 31-year old has not been able to repeat the 32 point season that earned him the deal. With just three points in 27 games this season, he is ticketed for the AHL’s San Diego Gulls for at least the immediate future.
Surprised that it came to this. Garbutt was our most energetic player early on, but he has had trouble producing lately. It’s surprising not because he’s expected to get 30 points a year, but because he’s cheap at only 900k (since Dallas retain 50% in the deal that sent him to Chicago).
You’re right, they did (I edited in with a h/t). It’s $1MM actual salary, but the $900k hit does make it more palatable. James Mirtle even suggested the Maple Leafs should go after him to replace Ben Smith.
That would be interesting if Toronto claimed him. I hope he stays in the Ducks organization. He is more palatable than Boll.
How is he suppose to put up 30 points when his playing minutes have diminished significantly since Carlyle took over. His role is not the same as when Bruce was rolling all 4 lines.
FIRE MURRAY AND CARYLE!!