Wednesday: Both players have cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.
Tuesday: With the transaction freeze coming into effect tomorrow, the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins have both placed players on waivers. Gemel Smith and Garrett Wilson find themselves back on the wire again this season according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Smith was only claimed by the Bruins less than two weeks ago from the Dallas Stars, a team that could very likely reclaim him and try to send him to the minor leagues. The Stars will be allowed to do so if they are the only team to put in a claim, but that actually may be risky given the upcoming freeze. Any claiming team will not have time to get a different player through waivers and off the roster, though there are obviously other ways to clear roster spots (like injured reserve).
The 24-year old forward played three games for the Bruins since his claim, but registered no points and was a -3. A fringe bottom-six player, he couldn’t provide any punch to a forward group in Boston looking for someone to provide secondary scoring. That was Smith’s problem in Dallas too, as he has recorded just 20 points through 77 games with the Stars.
Wilson on the other hand cleared waivers before the season began, but needed them again given he has played 13 games with the Penguins this year. The veteran minor league forward has 12 points in 12 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, but only two points in those 13 games with Pittsburgh. Never more than minor league depth, those two points are actually Wilson’s first in the NHL (during the regular season at least), making him not much of a risk to be claimed.