7 teams place 12 players on waivers who are waiting to be claimed
Photo credit: Mary Clarke-USA Today
The NHL waiver list is quite long today, as 12 players currently await to see whether other teams around the league will claim them or whether they'll be sent down.
NHL waivers are a mechanism that clears the way for the movement of players from one team to another while ensuring competitive balance. When an NHL team wants to assign a player that doesn't meet exemption criteria to the minors or release him, he has to pass through waivers. That places him on waivers to be claimed by all other teams in order of league standings. In other words, the worst teams get the first crack. That would help out teams that are of lesser quality to bring in talent they otherwise might have no chance of.
Waivers become especially important as the season wears along and roster adjustments need to be made due to injuries or underperformance, or at the start of a season. When a player clears waivers, all that means is that no team puts in a claim for him within a 24-hour period, and he then can be reassigned to the American Hockey League (AHL) or can remain with his current NHL team as a non-roster player. The process of waivers usually puts general managers in tricky situations; they have to find a delicate balance between losing out on a player and making room for new talent or fitting the players' contracts within the salary cap.
Waivers start after a certain number of games are played professionally by a player, which vary depending on age at the time of signing. Waiver wire develops into a strategic tool to balance player development with cap space, considering other teams' needs and scouting reports. The waiver claims get dramatic because in just that one move alone, it could give a team a good addition or sometimes cost them a loved player, adding another layer of excitement in the NHL.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman has just revealed that 12 players were placed on waivers today by their respective clubs. Teams around the league will now have 24 hours to claim them, as was explained above.
Fans will be keeping a close eye on which of these players ends up in a new home, and which unfortunately get sent down to the minor leagues. This is another telltale sign that the NHL regular season is just around the corner, only a few sleeps away. Get your popcorn ready hockey fans, puck drop is coming!
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