Notable Players on NHL Waiver Wire; Should Penguins Snag One?

Sunday was the deadline for NHL teams to put players on waivers so they could clear and their salaries removed from the books in time for the Monday 5 p.m. roster deadline. Several notable and intriguing players hit waivers Sunday, and we can ask if the Pittsburgh Penguins might be interested in at least one.

The Penguins waived five players Sunday, but coach Mike Sullivan also conceded many things were “on the table” regarding the Penguins’ final roster.

Several veterans might be claimed.

Perhaps the experienced NHLer most likely to get claimed is veteran goalie Martin Jones. The former San Jose Sharks goalie, who backstopped the Sharks to the 2016 Stanley Cup Final, has bounced around over recent years but was stellar in preseason for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Several teams are short on NHL experienced netminders, especially the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are down to one while starter Andrei Vasilevskiy mends from a back injury.

The Montreal Canadiens put Joel Armia on waivers. The nine-year NHL vet has played 439 NHL games and had 14 points (7-7-14) in 46 games last season and 153 points in his career. The 6-foot-3, 218-pound forward could find a new home for a team that needs some penalty kill and bottom-six help.

Could the Penguins be interested in Armia? As Sullivan hinted at many things on the table, the Penguins could not outright claim Armia without shedding a few million in salary. A Penguins trade would be necessary, and it seems unlikely.

Grigori Denisenko, 23, is one of the two offensively gifted players on the wire. The Vegas Golden Knights snagged the Russian winger on waivers from the Florida Panthers one day earlier, but the defending Stanley Cup champs are stocked. Denisenko is a shade below 6 feet tall and 186 pounds. He had only three assists in 18 NHL games last season. He has seven points, all assists, in 26 games but has been a scorer at the AHL level.

The other talented player on the wire could, and perhaps should, draw some attention: Raphael Lavoie. The Edmonton Oilers 2019 second-round pick (38th overall) is all offense. He’s big (6-foot-4, 196) and quick with a lethal shot. He had 25 goals in 61 games last season with the Bakersfield Condors.

Lavoie’s fatal flaw has been the dirty side of the red line. To be kind, he’s not good, but he’s also been working at it. Players with his offensive acumen who figure out how to be passable in the D-zone can carve out NHL careers. See also Daniel Sprong.

Some other names you might recognize are Jack Studnicka, who had a bad talk with the Vancouver Canucks. Tampa Bay waived defenseman Zach Bogosian. And the Detroit Red Wings signed Zach Aston-Reese to a two-way contract, then waived him.

Aston-Reese was in the Carolina Hurricanes camp on a PTO. And the Penguins penalty kill unit hasn’t been the same since he was part of the Rikard Rackell deal.

Full NHL Waivers Wire:

Pittsburgh Penguins

G Magnus Hellberg
F Colin White
D Mark Friedman
F Vinnie Hinostroza
F Radim Zohorna

Ottawa Senators

Released Josh Bailey from PTO

Anaheim Ducks

D Lassi Thomson
G Alex Stalock
F Andrew Agozzino

Boston Bruins

F Patrick Brown
F A.J. Greer

Arizona Coyotes

F Travis Boyd
F Zach Sanford
G Ivan Prosvetov

Carolina Hurricanes

D Dylan Coghlan

Chicago Blackhawks

F Joey Anderson

Colorado Avalanche

F Riley Tufte

Dallas Stars

F Riley Damiani

Detroit Red Wings

F Zach Aston-Reese

Edmonton Oilers

F Raphael Lavoie
F Lane Pederson
D Ben Gleason

Florida Panthers

F Zac Dalpe
D John Ludvig
D Casey Fitzgerald

Los Angeles Kings

F Jaret Anderson-Dolan

Montreal Canadiens

F Joel Armia
D Gustav Lindström

Ottawa Senators

F Bokondji Imama

St. Louis Blues

F Mackenzie MacEachern
D Calle Rosen
G Malcolm Subban
F Nathan Walker

Tampa Bay Lightning

D Zach Bogosian
F Gabriel Fortier

Toronto Maple Leafs

G Martin Jones
F Kyle Clifford
F Dylan Gambrell
D William Lagesson
D Maxime Lajoie

Vancouver Canucks

F Jack Studnicka
D Christian Wolanin

Vegas Golden Knights

F Grigori Denisenko

Winnipeg Jets

D Kyle Capobianco
G Collin Delia
F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby