Thursday: Megna has cleared waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Wednesday: The Washington Capitals have placed Jayson Megna on waivers, though the team announced that they will not loan him to the Hershey Bears right away should he clear. With the season just barely underway, the Capitals are likely hoping they can sneak the forward through the process to give them some added flexibility.
Megna, 28, suited up for just a single NHL game last season with the Vancouver Canucks, instead spending nearly the entire year in the minor leagues with Utica. That’s a familiar feeling for the undrafted forward, who has played many more AHL games than NHL ones in his professional career so far. Still, he may have a chance in Washington this season as the team doesn’t have quite the same center depth and is still pushed right up against the cap. With Tom Wilson’s long suspension landing today, the team will have even less salary flexibility.
That’s where the versatile Megna could come into play, given that he earns just the league minimum on his one-year two-way deal. There’s obviously no reason to believe he could replace a player like Wilson, but he could give them legitimate NHL bottom-six minutes without costing very much. That is of course if he’s not claimed, given that there are several other teams in similar situations.