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Vegas Golden Knights Claim Michael Amadio

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Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Vegas Golden Knights claimed forward Michael Amadio off waivers Saturday afternoon from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Amadio was placed on waivers yesterday by Toronto after somewhat unexpectedly making the team’s opening night roster. The 25-year-old Ontario native played just three games with Toronto before he was waived.

The acquisition of Amadio gives head coach Peter DeBoer some additional lineup flexibility as the team’s been hamstrung by injuries early on in the season. As five lineup-regular forwards (Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, Alex Tuch, Mattias Janmark, Nolan Patrick) are currently unable to go, young players like Jake Leschyshyn and Jonas Rondbjerg have been forced into action for Vegas, likely earlier in their developmental paths than the organization hoped. Patrick has been placed on injured reserve to make room for Amadio on the roster, per Ben Gotz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

It allows Vegas to return one of Leschyshyn or Rondbjerg to the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights, where they’ll be much more comfortable. Amadio is a versatile forward who can play any position, and while he usually wouldn’t be a lineup or even NHL regular on a Stanley Cup-contending team like Vegas, an aforementioned injury bug forced their hand.

When all is said and done, it’s likely Amadio appears on the waiver wire again later in the season when Vegas’ health improves.

Michael Amadio Placed On Waivers By Toronto Maple Leafs

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The Toronto Maple Leafs placed 25-year-old forward Michael Amadio on waivers today, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

The move leaves Toronto with no extra forwards on the roster as Ilya Mikheyev remains on injured reserve. While Petr Mrazek is healed from injury and ready to return against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, he was never officially placed on injured reserve. It’s possible that there’s a corresponding call-up coming from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.

Head coach Sheldon Keefe inserted Amadio into the lineup in only three games up until this point, averaging only 9:10 per game with no points and a +1 rating. Keefe deployed Amadio exclusively on the fourth line with Jason Spezza and Wayne Simmonds, a role that offseason addition Nick Ritchie finds himself in now after a slow start influenced a massive line shuffle.

Playing parts of five seasons in the league, Amadio’s played 176 contests with the Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators, and Maple Leafs. 168 of those 176 games came in a Kings uniform, as well as all of his 16 goals and 39 of his 40 career points.

The likelihood of a claim here is relatively low, as he’s done little in the past two seasons to show that he’s an everyday NHL player. If he clears, he’ll likely report to a Marlies team that’s dealing with a significant injury to top prospect Nicholas Robertson.

Remi Elie Clears Waivers

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Oct 28: Elie has cleared waivers and can be assigned to the AHL.

Oct 27: The Tampa Bay Lightning have placed forward Remi Elie on waivers today, according to Chris Johnston of TSN. Elie started the year on season-opening injured reserve, but his placement on waivers today suggests he’s ready to return to action at the AHL level.

Even though Tampa Bay is without the services of Nikita Kucherov for the next two months, don’t expect Elie to get a chance with the big club. The 26-year-old is really just minor league depth at this point, given he hasn’t suited up for an NHL game since 2018-19 with the Buffalo Sabres. In each of the last two seasons he was exclusively with the Rochester Americans, where he recorded 19 points in 2020-21.

It seems very unlikely that he would be claimed, especially coming off an injury to start the year. He does have a pretty solid minor league guarantee though, as he’ll earn $350K this season even if he fails to spend a single day on the NHL roster. Elie could certainly see some time as an injury call-up, but shouldn’t be expected to be an impact player for the Lightning this season.

Alexander Volkov Placed On Unconditional Waivers

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Oct 26: Volkov has cleared waivers and will see his contract terminated.

Oct 25: For the second time this season, Anaheim Ducks forward Alexander Volkov finds himself on waivers. After clearing regular waivers and being assigned to the San Diego Gulls, he’s now on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Volkov, 24, signed a one-year, $925K contract with the Ducks this season after a trade brought him to Anaheim from the Tampa Bay Lightning. The young forward has shown flashes of brilliance in the AHL and NHL over the years, but hasn’t been able to stay consistent enough to earn a full-time role at the highest level. In 18 games last season for the Ducks he registered eight points, but will now exit the organization after failing to earn a job out of camp.

After a contract termination, Volkov will become an unrestricted free agent and come completely off the books for the Ducks. That means he could sign with another NHL organization, though often these transactions are done because a player has a job lined up overseas. If Volkov heads to the KHL, for instance, it likely won’t be the last time his name is mentioned in regard to the NHL. He’ll be a free agent option down the road because of his relative youth and potential, even if he is unlikely to ever become an impact player at this point.

Two Players Clear Waivers

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Oct 26: Both players have cleared waivers and can be assigned to the AHL.

Oct 25: While Alexander Volkov is on unconditional waivers today, two other players have been placed on regular waivers. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Kyle Criscuolo of the Detroit Red Wings and Cory Schneider of the New York Islanders are available for claim.

In Criscuolo’s case, this would have likely been done at some point during training camp had he not been dealing with an injury. The 29-year-old forward was never really a candidate for the NHL roster, given he hasn’t even played a game at that level since the 2017-18 season. He is however a strong minor league option, who had 11 goals and 19 points in 29 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins last season. It’s very unlikely that Criscuolo will be claimed, meaning he’s headed back to Grand Rapids to make his season debut in the coming days.

For Schneider, his placement on waivers likely indicates that Semyon Varlamov is ready to return to the active roster. The veteran goaltender is nothing more than the third option for the Islanders, and hasn’t even actually played yet this season. Signed to a two-way deal, he too is very unlikely to be claimed unless a team believes he can be an upgrade while they deal with their own goaltending injuries.

Schneider is an organizational piece for the Islanders and is tied for the highest AHL salary this season at $500K. Even for the Bridgeport Islanders he is not expected to be the starter, instead just helping insulate young netminder Jakub Skarek–who has a .933 save percentage through his first four games–and provide the Islanders with an experienced professional to call up whenever necessary.

Colton White Clears Waivers

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Saturday: White has cleared waivers, Friedman reports.  No one was placed on waivers today.

Friday: With Ty Smith set to come off injured reserve this weekend, the New Jersey Devils have placed Colton White on waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

White, 24, was a fourth-round pick of the Devils in 2015 that has never been able to establish himself as anything more than an injury call-up. He’s played a handful of games in each of the last four seasons, including two early on for New Jersey this year. Averaging just over 12 minutes a night in those games, his play was adequate for the role he was in. White even recorded a point–the first of his career–on a Jimmy Vesey goal a few nights ago.

There seems little risk of him being claimed, given the acquiring team would need to keep him in the NHL, but even if he does the Devils have some other options to fill that depth role. Already they were carrying eight defensemen after claiming Mason Geertsen earlier this month, though they’ve been using him as a forward through the early part of the season. Should White clear, he’ll likely return at some point this year if the team deals with any other injuries on the blue line.

Tampa Bay Lightning Claim Alex Barre-Boulet

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The Tampa Bay Lightning weren’t going to pass up the opportunity to bring back one of their own. The team has claimed Alex Barre-Boulet off waivers from the Seattle Kraken. If they were the only team to submit a claim, they can assign the young forward directly to the AHL as if he cleared.

It certainly made sense for the Lightning to reclaim the 24-year-old Barre-Boulet, given what has happened since he was claimed by the Kraken earlier this month. While he was skating in two games for Seattle, the Lightning lost Nikita Kucherov from the lineup with an injury. By placing Kucherov on long-term injured reserve, Tampa Bay now has cap space and a roster spot to keep Barre-Boulet up if they choose.

It’s basically the best scenario possible for the Lightning. Not only did they reclaim a valuable asset, but Barre-Boulet was able to keep in game shape by suiting up twice for the Kraken. He even recorded a point, despite averaging fewer than nine minutes of ice time. That’s nothing new for the undrafted forward, who has been essentially a point-per-game producer at the minor league level for several seasons. In terms of depth forwards to plug into the lineup, the Lightning certainly could do worse.

Jarnkrok Activated; Barre-Boulet Placed On Waivers

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The Seattle Kraken have placed Alex Barre-Boulet on waivers today, as Calle Jarnkrok returns from the COVID protocol. Barre-Boulet was claimed off waivers earlier this season from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

After two games for the Kraken, Barre-Boulet finds himself once again available to the entire league. Should the Lightning place the only claim on him, he can be assigned directly to their minor league affiliate. If he is unclaimed, the Kraken can stash the young forward with the Charlotte Checkers, where he would be a welcome addition. In 148 career AHL games, Barre-Boulet has registered 139 points, showing just how dangerous he can be offensively in the right situation. The undrafted forward even registered an assist for the Kraken despite playing fewer than ten minutes in each of the two contests.

His placement on waivers is because Jarnkrok has been activated from the COVID protocol after spending the last two weeks unavailable to the Kraken. Seattle’s selection from the Nashville Predators looked in the preseason like he would play a key role for the Kraken, and indeed was practicing on the first line today according to Marisa Ingemi of the Seattle Times. His return, along with the recent appearance of Yanni Gourde, should give the team some additional firepower as they look to make a splash on home ice. After a five-game road trip to open the year, their finally heading home for a match against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night.

Glenn Gawdin Clears Waivers

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Oct 21: Gawdin has cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.

Oct 20: The Calgary Flames have placed depth forward Glenn Gawdin on waivers, according to Chris Johnston of TSN. Gawdin played just over ten minutes in Calgary’s overtime loss earlier this week.

With Brad Richardson approaching a return to the lineup, a roster spot was needed on the Flames and Gawdin is the odd man out. He’ll likely be sent to the minor leagues should he clear, though that perhaps isn’t a guarantee.

In nine career NHL games the 24-year-old Gawdin is still yet to score a goal, but his minor league performance is at least a little intriguing. In 2019-20 he recorded 16 goals and 47 points in 53 games, and really put himself on the map for the Flames as a depth option that could be used higher up in the lineup if necessary.

Just like Nic Petan yesterday though, depth forwards like this are available every few days on waivers. The most likely outcome is that Gawdin clears, is sent down, and has to wait for his next opportunity with the Flames.

Nic Petan Clears Waivers; Brock Boeser Activated

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Oct 20: Petan has cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.

Oct 19: The Vancouver Canucks have placed Nic Petan on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The forward had yet to appear in a game for the Canucks this season, and with Brock Boeser nearing a return, the team needed to open up a roster spot. In fact, Vancouver announced that Boeser has been activated and Petan has been designated for assignment, meaning should he clear, he’ll automatically be assigned to the Abbotsford Canucks.

Petan, 26 has bounced between the minors and NHL for years now, playing a handful of games each season and routinely dominating the minor leagues. In fact, since the start of 2017-18 he has been a better than point-per-game player in the AHL, racking up 98 points in 91 games. There just hasn’t been that kind of production in the NHL though, and the shifty, undersized playmaker has found himself watching from the outside more often than not.

For the Canucks, Boeser’s return is essential if they want to compete in the Pacific Division playoff race. They were held to just one goal by the Detroit Red Wings in their last match, despite posting 41 shots on net. Boeser’s elite finishing ability will come in handy, giving them another weapon at both even-strength and on the powerplay.

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