Three more players hit the waiver wire on Tuesday.
The Toronto Maple Leafs placed goaltender Andrew Raycroft
and forward Kyle Wellwood on waivers, while the Tampa Bay Lightning did the
same with goaltender Marc Denis.
In the case of Raycroft and Denis, who both have one season
remaining on their existing contract, it’s the first step for the Leafs and
Lightning buying them out.
Raycroft was expected to be bought out this month, having
lost his job as the Leafs starting goalie to Vesa Toskala after cracking under
the pressure of playing in Toronto.
Denis’ status had been uncertain until the sale of the Lightning
to OK Hockey was approved. He never turned into the starting goalie Lightning
GM Jay Feaster was hoping for when he peddle winger Fredrik Modin to Columbus
for Denis.
Raycroft has $2.2 million remaining on his contract, Denis
$3 million. Their buyouts will be at two thirds the remaining value spread over
the next two seasons. Should they clear waivers as expected by noon ET on Wednesday they'll become unrestricted free agents.
Wellwood however isn’t on an existing contract and is
eligible for RFA status unless the Leafs decide not to qualify his rights, in
which case he’d become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.
It’s my understanding the Leafs didn’t qualify his rights so
perhaps they’re hoping someone will take him off waivers and do so.
Regardless, it’s quite a fall for Wellwood, who was
projected to be the Leafs second-line center heading into last season, but a
combination of injuries and poor conditioning saw his stock plummet.
I wish the leafs wouldn't give up on Wellwood so quickly. He had one bad season plagued with injury but in his first season showed that he is more than capable of putting up points. I think the leafs will regret this decision in a couple years.
I like the leafs are making a mistake here.
Wellwood's first NHl season hey played 81 games getting 45 points.Any would say is a fine first year. Second season 42 points in 48 games(Sports Hernia) great performance played on the top line with mats and poni, for awhile he was there top line centre. when mats was hurt. Last year not so promising injuries and play third forth lines of course his season is going to be #### His Junior career was steller. All and all its just like the leafs to do this. give up on the future and trade away for people like jamal mayers....
I agree with you guys on Wellwood. He may have gotten under the skin of Leaf management for not arriving in camp last year in shape but that's equally the fault of management for not giving proper leadership to young players. It seems to be another case of the Leafs giving up on players rather than supporting them, even mollycoddling them for a while until they grow up. Anyway, too bad but hopefully someone will claim him and give him a decent chance and he'll learn from the experience. Meanwhile, another draft pick wasted. As for Raycroft, why bother. By my calcualtions they'll be paying him out at $660,000 or so per season for the next two. To pick up a decent back-up for Toskala they'll have to spit out that or more, so the savings will be negligible. It just looks like they want to be seen to be doing something. Its all optics. By the way, the Schenn draft seems to be a decent pick though I'm not sure about giving up so many picks to just move up two spots in the draft when there were other candidates available. Still, he'll probably be a good one, so they may have done right.
Good question puckhogg-It would seem with those numbers he'd be worth a flyer (no, not Umberger)...don't know how waivers work in NHL...if someone claims him can he be pulled back?...maybe they're trying to gauge interest for a trade?..
He has to be on waivers for 24 hours. Because he's not under contract, Toronto owns the rights to negotiate a contract with him until July 1. If a team claims him off waivers, they gain contract negotiation rights until July 1, where he becomes a restricted free agent. It's dangerous to grab a potential RFA player on waivers, especially now, because on July 1 the player can receive offer sheets from rival clubs.
If wellwoood gets picked up on waivers does that still make him an RFA? Or say he gets signed to a 1 year deal... after that deal does that make him an RFA?
He won't have a problem being in the NHL next year, and he should expect raise. Florida has really dropped the ball with trading away Jokenin. Best thing they could do now is grab Wellwood off waivers and outbid others for Hossa to make themselves a compeditive team next year.
If Wellwood is picked up off waivers he's still an RFA if his rights have been qualified by either the Leafs (I've still found nothing indicating the Leafs did this prior to placing him on waivers) or by his new team. If he clears waivers and if the Leafs haven't qualified him or offer him a new contract then he's a UFA.
I'm Lyle Richardson, also known as Spector, Foxsports.com 's "Prince of Pucks".,which is based on the fact I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada and I couldn't think of a better byline. I've been an NHL hockey commentator since 1998 on my website, Spector's Hockey, and I'm a contributing writer for Foxsports.com , The Hockey News and Eishockey News. I'm also a regular on The Faceoff Hockey Show and a frequent guest on "The Late Crew" on The Team 1200 Ottawa.
