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Rangers To Place Nick Bonino On Waivers

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Jan. 26: Bonino has cleared waivers and can be assigned to Hartford, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Jan. 25: Peter Botte of the New York Post is reporting that the New York Rangers will be placing veteran forward Nick Bonino on waivers at 2 pm today (Eastern Standard Time). The 35-year-old did not practice with the Rangers today and it is unclear what will happen should he clear waivers tomorrow afternoon.

Bonino has not played in the AHL since the 2011-12 season and could be assigned to the Rangers AHL affiliate the Hartford Wolfpack, should he pass through waivers. Whether or not Bonino would want to report to the AHL is also unclear. Bonino is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins and is signed to a one-year contract at $800K. At this point in his career, he may not want to ride buses in the AHL to collect the remainder of his contract.

Bonino is a veteran of 868 NHL regular season games plus an additional 105 NHL playoff games. He has put a lot of hard miles on his body over the years and may opt to hang up his skates if he can’t catch on with another NHL team. Bonino also has to factor in injury concerns as he has dealt with some pretty horrific injuries in his career, including last year when he suffered a lacerated kidney while he was a member of the Penguins.

Bonino has struggled mightily this year with just a goal and four assists in 45 games. He was never the quickest skater on the ice, but he has lost considerable footspeed over the last few seasons. Any team that does acquire the veteran center will likely see him as a 13th forward and a veteran presence in the locker room.

New Jersey Devils Claim Nick DeSimone Off Waivers From Calgary

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The New Jersey Devils have claimed defenseman Nick DeSimone off of waivers from the Calgary Flames. The 29-year-old has appeared in 23 games with the Flames this season, netting five points and a -4. He’s also appeared in 10 AHL games, recording eight assists and a +7.

DeSimone is in his eighth professional season since making his AHL debut at the end of the 2016-17 season – signing a two-year contract as an undrafted free agent with the San Jose Sharks. DeSimone served as a locked-in lineup piece for the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda for five seasons, before moving to the New York Rangers organization in the three-team trade that sent Mattias Janmark and Brett Howden to Vegas. DeSimone signed with the Calgary Flames soon after this move, continuing to serve as a minor league option for a variety of AHL clubs.

The Flames finally rewarded DeSimone’s long tenure in the minors with four NHL games last season. The defender went without a point, adding two penalty minutes and a -4. He’s gotten a chance at a much bigger NHL role this season, finally playing a majority of the year in the top league. He will look to continue carving out an NHL role on a Devils team that’s currently missing top defenseman Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler, as well as depth option Brendan Smith. The Devils also granted defenseman Callan Foote a leave of absence on Wednesday, effectively sliding DeSimone into the role of seventh defenseman.

Arizona Coyotes Claim Adam Ružička Off Waivers From Calgary

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The Arizona Coyotes have claimed Calgary Flames forward Adam Ružička off of waivers. Ružička has appeared in 39 of Calgary’s 47 games this season, netting three goals and nine points. He’s also recorded six penalty minutes and a -8.

Ružička has slowly established his place in the NHL over the last four seasons, making his debut with the Flames in 2020-21. He’s since totaled 114 career NHL games and 40 career points, adding 26 penalty minutes. He is one of seven players from the 2017 NHL Draft’s fourth round to play in at least 100 NHL games, alongside players like Ottawa’s Drake Batherson and Buffalo’s Jacob Bryson. Ružička has also appeared in 98 AHL games across three seasons, totaling 68 points.

Ružička provides much-needed center depth to a Coyotes team that currently has Barrett Hayton and Travis Boyd on injured reserve. The team has turned towards Dylan Guenther in light of their injuries, with the 20-year-old winger managing six points in nine games this season. Guenther also leads the Coyotes’ AHL affiliate in scoring with 28 points in 29 games – despite the team playing in nine more games since the winger’s call-up.

Now without Ružička, the Flames will need to turn towards one of Cole Schwindt, Adam Klapka, or Walker Duehr to takeover the open bottom-line role. Schwindt and Klapka have only played in one and two games respectively, while Duehr has seen 19 appearances and scored four points. Calgary also has Matthew Coronato currently in the NHL lineup. The former first-round pick is 13 games into his rookie NHL season, boasting just two points, four penalty minutes, and a -9.

Flames Place Nick DeSimone, Adam Ružička On Waivers

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The Flames placed defenseman Nick DeSimone and center Adam Ružička on waivers Wednesday for the purpose of assignment to AHL Calgary, per TSN’s Chris Johnston.

Ružička seemed like a candidate to challenge for a top-nine job with the Flames to start the season after logging 20 points in only 44 games last season. However, the 24-year-old cooled down significantly after recording four points through his first four games of the year, and his offensive pace is now down by half from 2022-23. He’s without a point in his last ten outings and was a healthy scratch in yesterday’s 4-3 loss to the Blues. He has three goals and nine points in 39 games on the year and is averaging a career-low 10:10 per game.

Still, the 2017 fourth-round pick could garner some interest on the waiver wire. Being in the second year of a two-year, league-minimum deal means his cap hit is $762.5K, $12.5K less than this year’s minimum salary. While he’s slated for RFA status with arbitration rights at the end of the season, opting not to issue him a qualifying offer would relieve a team of going to arbitration with him if they’re not impressed with his play.

DeSimone lands on waivers after his most recent call-up lasted nearly six weeks. The 29-year-old played in 15 of 19 games since his Dec. 12 call-up but has been a healthy scratch in each of the last two games, falling behind depth defenders Dennis Gilbert and Jordan Oesterle on the depth chart. His lack of role becomes more apparent with Oliver Kylington set to return from a year-and-a-half-long absence for mental health reasons against the Blue Jackets tomorrow.

Like Ružička, DeSimone is on an expiring deal carrying a $762.5K cap hit, although he’s slated for unrestricted free agency this summer. The right-shot blueliner has a career-high 23 games with Calgary this year, recording a goal and four assists while averaging 12:02 per game.

Mitchell Stephens Clears Waivers, Canadiens Send Justin Barron Down

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1/23: Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that Stephens went unclaimed on waivers, and will now report to Laval.

1/22: The Montreal Canadiens have placed forward Mitchell Stephens on waivers and loaned defenseman Justin Barron to the AHL’s Laval Rockets. Stephens started the season in Laval, clearing waivers ahead of the season’s start. He scored 12 points in 16 AHL games before joining Montreal on December 1st. Meanwhile, Barron is slated for his first stint with Laval, after playing in 41 of Montreal’s 46 games this season. The 22-year-old defenseman has managed 12 points in that stretch, a step down from the 15 points he recorded in 39 games with Montreal last season. Barron also recorded 16 points in 25 AHL games last year.

While Stephens has already cleared waivers once this season, his depth has proven valuable throughout his eight-year professional career. Stephens was originally drafted 33rd overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, just a few picks before the Carolina Hurricanes drafted Sebastian Aho. He made his professional debut in the following year, playing five AHL games at the end of the 2015-16 season. He returned to juniors in the following season, but played his first full pro season in 2017-18, scoring 41 points in 70 games with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. That year’s scoring remains Stephens’ career-high, although he matched it in 68 games during Laval’s 2022-23 season. The 26-year-old forward has only played in 95 career NHL games, recording 16 points and 22 penalty minutes. He’s also recorded 219 career AHL games and 137 points.

Adam Erne Clears Waivers

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1/23: Chris Johnston of The Athletic reports that Erne has safely cleared waivers meaning he will now be assigned to AHL Bakersfield for the foreseeable future.

1/22: The Oilers placed winger Adam Erne on waivers for the purpose of assignment to AHL Bakersfield on Monday, per a team announcement.

This is the second time that Edmonton has placed Erne on waivers this season. He cleared in early-November and was sent down to the minor leagues for just two weeks, before rejoining the Edmonton lineup until now. He played in four AHL games while down, scoring one goal and setting a -5. He’s been relatively unproductive in the NHL as well, netting two points, nine penalty minutes, and a +2 through 23 games. Erne has been largely an afterthought in the Oilers’ lineup, averaging just 7:46 in ice time, the lowest of any player with 10 or more games with the club.

It’s Erne’s first season in Edmonton, with the 28-year-old winger joining the team’s training camp on a professional try-out contract. He ultimately earned a deal in Edmonton, signing a one-year, two-way, $775K contract with the team two days after their season kicked off. The Oilers become the third team of Erne’s NHL career, adding to his three seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning and four years with the Detroit Red Wings.

Erne’s placement on waivers lines up with Edmonton’s signing of veteran forward Corey Perry. Perry started the season with the Chicago Blackhawks, playing in 16 games and scoring nine points for the club. He is well along in an NHL career that kicked off in the 2005-06 season. Perry has since totaled 1,273 career games and 1,392 career points. Edmonton will hope he can add a much-needed spark on the wing.

Hurricanes Claim Spencer Martin Off Waivers From Blue Jackets

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The Hurricanes have claimed goaltender Spencer Martin off waivers from the Blue Jackets, per a team announcement. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the news. Given the Hurricanes have no open spots on the active roster, the team has likely assigned rookie backup Yaniv Perets to ECHL Norfolk to create space for Martin.

Martin, 28, has now been claimed off waivers for the second time this season. He began the campaign with the Canucks in training camp, expecting to serve out the second season of a two-year, $1.525MM extension. After Vancouver made a mid-September trade to acquire Casey DeSmith from the Canadiens to serve as the primary backup to starter Thatcher Demko, though, Martin fell to third on the organizational depth chart. The Canucks waived him at the end of the month, at which point he got picked up by the Blue Jackets to serve as their backup while youngster Daniil Tarasov was on the shelf with a knee injury.

In 13 appearances with Columbus (10 starts), Martin posted a .887 SV% and a 3-8-1 record. He has a 17-25-6 record and .886 SV% in 51 career showings with the Blue Jackets, Canucks and Avalanche dating back to 2016. A third-round pick of Colorado in the 2013 draft, Martin was primarily an AHL starter for the organizations he played in until getting a more extended look as a backup to Demko in Vancouver last season.

Unfortunately, Martin’s poor play last season was a large reason behind the 2022-23 Canucks’ dysfunction. His -23.5 goals saved above expected was third-worst in the NHL, per MoneyPuck, trailing only Columbus’ Elvis Merzļikins and San Jose’s Kaapo Kähkönen. He’s been marginally better this season, but he’s still been far below average, with -4.7 goals saved above expected in his 13 appearances for the Blue Jackets.

He now heads to Carolina as a more permanent answer for the veteran third goalie position they’ve been looking to fill ever since starter Frederik Andersen exited the lineup in November due to blood clots. The club had signed Jaroslav Halák and Aaron Dell to PTOs earlier in the season, but never converted their tryouts into a full-time contract.

Their thin depth at the goalie position was exacerbated last week when Pyotr Kochetkov entered concussion protocols, leaving the Hurricanes with Antti Raanta and his .869 SV% as their lone option between the pipes with NHL experience. Claiming Martin also allows the Hurricanes to let the 23-year-old Perets continue his development in the ECHL, where he has a .906 SV% and 2.62 GAA in his first professional season.

Blue Jackets Put Spencer Martin On Waivers, Jiricek Sent To AHL

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The Columbus Blue Jackets announced that they’ve placed goaltender Spencer Martin on waivers today and sent defenseman David Jiricek to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL. Martin was placed on waivers for the purpose of sending him to the AHL, but he will need to clear waivers first before he can be sent there.

Martin has struggled this season after he was acquired on waivers from the Vancouver Canucks back in September 2023. He has not appeared in a game since a loss on January 2nd to the Boston Bruins. For the season, Martin has dressed in 13 games and has a 3-8-1 record with a 3.65 goals-against average and a save percentage of .887%. Those numbers are not great, and some might speculate that they are being dragged down by playing on a bad team in Columbus, however, Martin’s numbers are only slightly worse with the Blue Jackets as his career average goals against is 3.63 and his career save percentage is lower at .886. Martin’s demotion could lead to Elvis Merzļikins getting more playing time in the coming days, which could be interesting given his recent trade request.

Jiricek heads to Cleveland after dressing in 36 games this season for the Blue Jackets. The former sixth overall pick in the 2022 NHL entry draft has played okay this season, although he hasn’t posted much in the way of offense with just a goal and eight assists this year. The Blue Jackets tried to give the 20-year-old the bulk of his zone starts in the offensive zone and did appear to be sheltering him as best they could. With his demotion to Cleveland, he will likely see more minutes and have an opportunity to play in more high-leverage situations which could help his development long-term.

Flames Place Walker Duehr On Waivers

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January 18th: Duehr has cleared waivers and been assigned to the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL.

January 17th: The Flames placed winger Walker Duehr on waivers for the purpose of assignment to AHL Calgary on Wednesday, TSN’s Chris Johnston reports.

Duehr, 26, played in 12 straight games to start the season but has seen minimal action since, playing in only 10 of Calgary’s last 35 games. An undrafted free agent signing out of Minnesota State in the spring of 2021, the bottom-six grinder posted 1-3–4 in 19 games this year while averaging only 7:58 per game before landing on the waiver wire.

Away from the puck, Duehr’s performance this year took a sizable step back from his 27-game stint in the Flames lineup in 2022-23. His 46.2% Corsi share at even strength is the worst on the team despite seeing minutes against easier competition, and his minutes on special teams this year are negligible.

Duehr is signed to a one-way deal that runs through next season, so the likelihood of him getting claimed is low. He signed a two-year extension worth $1.65MM last April after spending a decent chunk of the campaign on the Calgary roster, making the team out of camp this year as a result.

In 41 games with AHL Calgary last season, Duehr recorded 11-15–26 with a +5 rating. His middling offensive production in the minors suggests he won’t likely ever be a top-nine threat at the NHL level, but he has shown some skills that suggest he can be an effective fourth-liner in the future. This season, however, it hasn’t come to fruition, and he’ll return to the minors (if he clears) to round out his all-around game.

Pittsburgh Penguins Place Radim Zohorna On Waivers, Recall Ryan Shea

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Jan. 17: Zohorna cleared waivers and can be assigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at the Penguins’ discretion, TSN’s Chris Johnston reports. In a corresponding transaction, the team summoned defenseman Ryan Shea after sending him to the minors last week.

Jan. 16: The Pittsburgh Penguins are placing depth forward, Radim Zohorna, on waivers, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. If Zohorna does clear and is reassigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, it will mark Zohorna’s first time back in the AHL since late October of this season.

Towards the beginning of the year, Zohorna was originally recalled by Pittsburgh to improve a bottom-six that had struggled out of the gate. Zohorna got off to a strong start, scoring three goals and six points in 13 games between October 21st and November 19th. Unfortunately, since then, Zohorna has seen his production crater, as he has only been able to muster one goal in his next 18 games for the Penguins, seeing his average ice time drop by approximately three minutes.

In the meantime, with Pittsburgh’s recent recall of Colin White on Saturday, the team may be more comfortable with giving White an opportunity on the team’s third or fourth line. White had originally spent the first few months of the season in the AHL, scoring five goals and 10 points in 21 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Now returning to the AHL, Zohorna will return to a very familiar setting in eastern Pennsylvania. Although he has only played in two games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season, Zohorna is a veteran of 53 games for Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate since 2020-21, scoring 15 goals and 32 points over that stretch.

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