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Matt Murray Clears Waivers, Assigned To Belleville

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November 28: Murray has cleared waivers, per Bruce Garrioch of TSN and The Ottawa Sun. The team’s assigned him to the Belleville Senators.

November 27: On Friday, Senators goaltender Matt Murray was a healthy scratch against Anaheim.  One day later, he has been placed on waivers for the purpose of assignment to AHL Belleville.

The 27-year-old is in his second season with Ottawa after they flipped a second-round pick and prospect Jonathan Gruden to Pittsburgh to get him back at the 2020 draft.  At the time, they felt they had their starting goalie of the foreseeable future, quickly inking him to a four-year, $25MM contract; his $6.25MM AAV is the sixth-highest in the league among goaltenders this season.

What have they received in return for that money?  Not a whole lot.  Murray struggled considerably last season, posting a 3.38 GAA with a .893 SV% in 27 games, the worst numbers of his career.  This season, those numbers aren’t any better – a 3.26 GAA and a save percentage of .890 in six games.  Those numbers are below average for a backup let alone a starter.

Ottawa’s decision to dress Anton Forsberg and Filip Gustavsson against the Ducks was a strong message from head coach D.J. Smith that he has lost faith in Murray.  At this point, getting him down to Belleville for a stint to try to give him an opportunity to find his game again against lower-level competition certainly makes some sense.

Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch suggests the Sabres and Coyotes could be teams to keep an eye on with regards to a potential claim.  Both teams have a need for a goaltender but with two years still left on his contract and both teams operating as lower budget squads, it’s hard to imagine they’d be willing to take him off waivers with how poor he has performed in Ottawa.  A trade with retention after he clears and maybe some games in the minors would be a likelier scenario.

Assuming he does indeed clear on Sunday, the Sens will get a small bit of cap relief as $1.125MM of Murray’s AAV will come off their books when he’s sent down.  Of course, with Ottawa being a team that’s closer to the Lower Limit of the cap than the Upper Limit, that relief won’t be worth a whole lot to them but they’ll be able to move forward with a Forsberg-Gustavsson tandem for at least the time being while giving Murray an opportunity to get back to form in the minors.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report that Murray would be waived.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Evander Kane Placed On Waivers

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Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirms that San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane was placed on waivers Sunday for the purpose of assignment to the AHL.

After scoring 22 goals and 49 points in 56 games last season, Kane has yet to suit up for the Sharks after he was suspended without pay for 21 games for a violation of the league’s COVID protocols after the start of the season.

Kane’s had off-ice issues that have persisted for much of the last calendar year. A bankruptcy filing shadowed over his 2020-21 campaign, while multiple investigations into allegations of gambling and domestic abuse by the league occurred over the offseason. Contrary to the result of the suspension, he was cleared by the league on both of those allegations.

A veteran of 769 NHL games, Kane will be assigned to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda if he clears waivers. If he reports, it would be Kane’s first time playing in the AHL. He made the jump straight to the Atlanta Thrashers from the WHL’s Vancouver Giants in 2009.

Whether Kane will ever return to the Sharks organization at the NHL level remains unclear. Multiple reports surfaced this offseason that many players couldn’t get along with Kane, and the team may not want to jeopardize what seems to be a positive developing culture as the younger team gets off to a hot start. Still, it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility that Kane returns and suits up for the Sharks again.

His AHL assignment could be an effort to allow teams an opportunity to scout him and see him back in action before making a trade to acquire him. The Sharks have let it be known that they’re willing to retain salary in a trade.

Kane has four seasons remaining on a contract with a $7MM cap hit.

Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News was the first to report this story.

Senators Claim Adam Gaudette Off Waivers From Blackhawks

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It is a busy waiver day for Ottawa today.  After officially placing Matt Murray on waivers, the Senators have claimed center Adam Gaudette off waivers from the Blackhawks, reports TSN’s Chris Johnston (Twitter link).

Chicago acquired Gaudette at the trade deadline last season from Vancouver in exchange for Matthew Highmore.  He played in seven games down the stretch last season and did well, collecting four points which was good enough to earn him a qualifying offer for just under $1MM which he accepted in July.  However, things haven’t gone as well this season as he has played in just eight games – recording only two points – and spending the rest of the time as a healthy scratch.

Gaudette’s agent Matt Keator told Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription link) that GM Kyle Davidson was doing Gaudette a favor by putting him on waivers so that he could go somewhere where he could play more regularly.  He should get that opportunity in Ottawa, a team that has shuffled quite a few players in and out of their bottom six in the early going this season.

The 25-year-old will once again be a restricted free agent this summer with a $1MM qualifying offer.  Gaudette will also have salary arbitration eligibility so he will need to be more productive with the Sens than he was with the Blackhawks in order to be tendered in July.

Adam Gaudette Placed On Waivers

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The Chicago Blackhawks have placed Adam Gaudette on waivers today, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Gaudette, 25, hasn’t played in a few weeks, last suiting up for the Blackhawks on November 9. He played just over five minutes in that game and then has been made a healthy scratch several times by interim head coach Derek King.

Now, with Tyler Johnson nearing a return to action, the team needed to clear a roster spot and it’s Gaudette that will be risked to the rest of the league. It’s an interesting decision for the Blackhawks, who have several waiver-exempt players they could have sent down instead–namely Reese Johnson and Mike Hardman–but they’ve obviously decided that Gaudette is the one that should go.

There’s certainly a chance he could be claimed, though a cap hit just barely under $1MM should make some cap-strapped teams hesitate. Gaudette hasn’t been anywhere near the player he was during the 2019-20 season, when he recorded 12 goals and 33 points in 59 games. Since then, he has just 13 points in 48 games, split between the Vancouver Canucks and Blackhawks.

A Hobey Baker winner, there’s obvious offensive upside in Gaudette, but his overall play hasn’t been good enough to secure a regular spot in Chicago’s top-six. If he clears, he will likely be sent back to the minor leagues.

New Jersey Devils Claim Nathan Bastian

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Welcome back, Nathan. The New Jersey Devils have claimed Nathan Bastian off waivers from the Seattle Kraken, bringing back the player they lost in the expansion draft.

Bastian, 23, never seemed like a player that would make it through waivers, given the mix of size, draft pedigree and relative youth that he brings. A second-round pick in 2016, he played 41 games for the Devils last season, scoring ten points and forming a nice line with longtime teammate Michael McLeod.

While he failed to provide much offense with the Kraken, scoring just one goal and two points in 12 games, Bastian does actually have some upside on that side of the puck. The 6’4″ forward has scored 44 goals in 188 AHL games and even his seven in 60 NHL games show a player who can chip in once in a while.

He’ll now avoid a return to the minor leagues, as the Devils will have to keep him on the active roster. To make room, Jesper Boqvist has been moved to injured reserve retroactive to November 18.

For Seattle, this appears to be another case of wasting an expansion pick. There wasn’t a ton of talent available on the Devils roster, but it seems likely that someone like Andreas Johnsson would have been more valuable, even despite his contract. Now they’ve lost Bastian for nothing (save the small fee a team must pay to claim a player), after just 12 games.

Patrick Harper Clears Unconditional Waivers

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Nov 25: Harper has cleared waivers according to Friedman, meaning a contract termination could soon follow.

Nov 24: In addition to Nathan Bastian, who was placed on regular waivers today, Nashville Predators minor league forward Patrick Harper is on unconditional waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Harper’s contract will likely be terminated, should he clear waivers.

The 23-year-old forward has played in nine games with the Milwaukee Admirals this season, failing to score a single point. A fifth-round draft pick in 2016, he is in the final season of a two-year, entry-level contract signed in 2020 after his college career came to an end. During that contract, he’s played just 24 games at the AHL level, with just two points (and no goals) to show for it.

A two-time member of the U.S. World Junior team, Harper’s size is his limiting factor at the professional level. The 5’7″ forward was a dynamic offensive player at Boston University, but that production hasn’t carried over to the AHL.

If he does see his contract terminated, Harper would become an unrestricted free agent able to sign with any NHL team, though usually in these cases a contract has already been worked out overseas.

Nathan Bastian Placed On Waivers

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The Seattle Kraken had to make room for Mason Appleton, who has been activated off injured reserve, so Nathan Bastian finds himself on waivers today.

Bastian, 23, was the Kraken’s expansion pick from the New Jersey Devils, but saw very limited time in his games with Seattle. Averaging just over nine minutes of ice time through 12 appearances, he hadn’t even gotten into the lineup since November 9. With Appleton returning, someone on the roster was going to have to be exposed, since none of the Kraken skaters are waiver-exempt.

It will be interesting to see if Bastian clears, given his obvious upside. Though he has just two points this season, he has scored in bunches in the minor leagues, was a high draft pick in 2016 (41st overall), and possesses the size–6’4″–that many teams covet in the bottom-six. He’s more than willing to use that size too, as Bastian recorded 136 hits in just 41 games for the Devils last season and even drops the gloves on occasion.

New Jersey themselves could even bring Bastian back, though they made a move to bring up Chase De Leo recently to fill out the last spot on the roster and have other forwards who will return from injury at some point.

If he isn’t claimed, Bastian could be sent to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL.

Hurricanes’ Eric Gelinas, Wild’s Ivan Lodnia Clear Unconditional Waivers

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Nov 23: After both players cleared waivers, they are now able to have their contracts terminated and sign overseas. Gelinas technically was recalled to the NHL before terminating it but is headed back to Rogle where he played last season. As for Lodnia, Michael Russo of The Athletic understood that a few weeks ago the young forward was linked to Finland, but nothing has yet surfaced regarding his next destination.

Nov 21: Two NHL seasons and contracts (and possibly careers) could soon be coming to an end. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that a pair of names have been placed on unconditional waivers today for the purpose of contract termination. They are veteran defenseman Eric Gelinas of the Carolina Hurricanes and young forward Ivan Lodnia of the Minnesota Wild.

Gelinas, a name that should be familiar to NHL fans, is an experienced defender in the league with nearly 200 games to his credit with the New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche. However, he spent the past three seasons in Europe before returning with a one-year contract with the Hurricanes this off-season. Given the defensive depth in Carolina though, Gelinas has yet to see a return to the NHL level and very well might not have played for anyone other than the AHL’s Chicago Wolves this season. As a result, he is seeking a contract termination so that he can pursue greater opportunities elsewhere. One of the best offensive defensemen in Sweden last year, Gelinas is likely to head back to the SHL if he clears waivers.

Lodnia, 22, is a different case. The young forward is in his first pro season in North America after playing in the KHL on loan last year. A 2017 third-round pick and long-time OHL standout, Lodnia is considered a good prospect and likely expected to be treated as such by the Wild. Instead, Minnesota’s depth forced them to assign Lodnia to the ECHL to begin the year. When he opted not to report, Lodnia was suspended and as a result, has not played a single game this season. Enough is enough apparently, as the two sides are moving toward a contract termination. It is unclear if the Wild have tried to trade Lodnia and, if so, if his refusal to report has been a turn-off to potential suitors. An interested club could still grab Lodnia on waivers, but typically unconditional placements go untouched. He could potentially sign with another NHL team, or AHL team, but there is also the chance that he returns to Europe instead. It’s a strange twist to what once seemed like a budding NHL career that now may never be.

Clark Bishop Clears Waivers

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Nov 22: Bishop has cleared waivers according to Friedman, and can be assigned to the minor leagues if the team chooses to do so.

Nov 21: Ottawa Senators forward Clark Bishop is finally coming back from injury, but could he also be headed elsewhere? Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Bishop has been placed on waivers today by the Senators. This move comes as Bishop is activated from the Season-Opening Injured Reserve, having suffered a lower-body injury in training camp.

Bishop, 25, is a serviceable depth forward with 38 NHL games and over 200 AHL games under his belt in six pro seasons. The Senators acquired Bishop from the Carolina Hurricanes in January in exchange for defenseman Maxime Lajoie. While Lajoie has remained in the AHL and has yet to play for Carolina, Bishop got into 13 games with Ottawa last season and earned a one-year contract extension. The Senators clearly like the hard-working forward and may not even send him to the minors if he does clear waivers.

That is a significant “if” though. Young bottom-six forwards have moved around frequently on waivers so far this season and Bishop could be the next in line. Though not a scoring option, Bishop is a good defensive center who could plug into a fourth line role for a team facing injuries or depth concerns in their bottom six.

Justin Bailey Clears Waivers

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Nov 19: Bailey has cleared waivers and will be assigned to the AHL.

Nov 18: The Vancouver Canucks have placed Justin Bailey on waivers, along with designating him for assignment. That means they clear the roster spot immediately, but Bailey will have to be assigned to the AHL should he clear tomorrow.

Now 26, Bailey has played in ten games this season for the Canucks but does not yet have a point. Originally a second-round pick by the Buffalo Sabres, to this point in his career he hasn’t been able to establish himself as a full-time NHL option. In the minor leagues Bailey is a top-level scorer, with 28 goals in 53 games during the 2019-20 campaign, but so far that hasn’t translated to the higher level. In his 78 career games, the 6’4″ forward has just five goals and nine points.

With Tyler Motte back in action, the team was carrying 14 forwards and were pushed right up against the cap. Sending Bailey’s league-minimum contract down would open up a roster spot and some cap space, perhaps letting them bring Jack Rathbone back up to join the defensive group.

There’s a chance he could be claimed, but with so many other forwards passing through waivers without a problem, Bailey seems like a safe bet to be assigned to Abbotsford tomorrow.

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