NHL Waivers Filling up With Impact Players as Teams Finalize Rosters

NHL Waivers Begin to Fill up With Impact Players That Could Interest Other Teams. Martin Frk Is the Only Player Thus Far to Be Claimed, but One Might Wonder If San Jose Will Target a Backup Goaltender After Monday’s Names Were Released (Mike Condon, Ondrej Pavelec, Scott Wedgewood)

Today was a big day for teams as NHL waivers began to fill up with impact players. With the start of the regular season two days away, and many teams still needing to finalize a 22/23 man roster, there were bound to be some surprising players placed on waivers Monday morning, as per usual around this time of year.

Names are still continuing to seep through, but this is the list of all the players placed on waivers, via Bob McKenzie of TSN:

Bob definitely saved me a lot of time posting this list. There a lot of noticeable names here, including Ondrej Pavelec, Mike Condon, P.A. Parenteau, Zbynek Michalek, and Teemu Pulkkinen.

Ondrej Pavelec

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Pavelec, who has been the Winnipeg Jets starting goalie since 2009-2010, is unlikely to be picked up despite being a proven starter. The reason for this is the 29-year-old’s $3.9 million dollar cap hit (and $4.75 million dollar salary). No team that needs a starting/backup goalie has the cap space for that contract except for the Arizona Coyotes. And why would GM John Chayka claim Pavelec if he has Mike Condon ($575,000 dollar cap hit) on the table as well?

Big Name Skaters

Let’s look at some of the big name skaters on NHL waivers. 33-year-old P.A. Parenteau was just recently signed by the Islanders after putting up 20 goals and 41 points in 71 games with the dismal Toronto Maple Leafs in 2015-16. So him being placed on waivers comes as a little bit of a surprise.

Teemu Pulkkinen (Detroit) is in a different situation. The 24-year-old left winger caught the attention of Red Wings management two years ago after scoring 34 goals in 46 AHL games. Pulkkinen has played the last 70 games in the NHL, putting up a fairly disappointing 11 goals and 20 points in that span. But at 24 years of age, there is still some upside here.

On the Blue Line

Michalek, another veteran in his mid-30s, is a reliable stay at home defender who has mediocre offensive production. He lost his roster spot in Arizona to last years 16th overall pick Jakob Chychrun but could be a useful bottom pairing defender on other teams.

Next: Season Preview: Atlantic Division Breakdown/Analysis

Waiver Wire Sleepers

I already went over the most noticeable players hitting NHL waivers on Monday morning, but there are a few lesser-known players who have a good chance of being picked up:

Scott Wedgewood, G, New Jersey Devils: Wedgewood, the Devils 3rd round pick in 2010, can be a backup at the NHL level as soon as this season. The 24-year-old went 14-3-3 with a 1.55 GAA and .933 SVP with AHL Albany, and was stellar in four starts with the Devils last season.

Klas Dahlbeck, D, Arizona Coyotes: The 6-foot-3 Dahlbeck is a solid bottom pairing defender, coming in at a very reasonable $750,000 dollar cap hit.

Mark McNeill, C, Chicago Blackhawks: The Blackhawks first rounder in 2011 has been a top-tier AHL scorer for three years now. He just needs to translate that to the big-leagues.