The NHL waiver wire is full of other teams’ castoffs, players that teams are willing to risk losing or, in some cases, want to lose. As a result, the players on waivers are, on average, not very good.
There are always exceptions, of course, and solid NHL-caliber players are placed on waivers all the time. Martin Gelinas was a waiver claim for the Canucks back in 1994, played a key role in the run to the Cup Final, and had two 30-goal seasons with the Canucks. The ever-underrated Kyle “Man Possessed” Wellwood was a waiver pick up, as was Dale “Dutch Lindros” Weise.
The Canucks haven’t claimed anyone off waivers since Brandon McMillan during the 2014-15 season. They went all of last season without making a claim and have yet to do so this season, despite injuries opening up spots in the lineup.
Instead, the Canucks have brought up the likes of Jayson Megna and Michael Zalewski, as well as giving regular ice time to Jack Skille, who hasn’t done much of anything since the pre-season ended. Would the Canucks be better served by having a player claimed off waivers in the lineup ahead of those three?
Let’s look at a few of the players who were placed on waivers that the Canucks passed on. Keeping in mind that they were one of 29 teams that didn’t put in a claim on these players, are there any that you wish they had claimed?
Emerson Etem
At the beginning of the season, the Canucks waived Emerson Etem after a disappointing pre-season. He got claimed by his former team, the Anaheim Ducks, but played just three games before going back on waivers. So why would the Canucks claim Etem after already deciding they would rather have Jack Skille in the lineup?
Here’s where it gets interesting: since Etem played fewer than ten games with the Ducks, the Canucks could have claimed Etem and immediately sent him down to the AHL without having to put him through waivers again. The move would have allowed the Canucks to re-gain an asset and would have allowed Etem a chance to find his game again with the Utica Comets.
This seems like a no-risk move for the Canucks, but evidently they want nothing to do with Etem.
Sven Andrighetto
Canucks Army made the argument for claiming the Montreal Canadiens prospect earlier this month. The speedy, 23-year-old winger, who Habs Eyes on the Prize labeled the Canadiens’ ninth best player under 25, has the potential to be a top-six forward, and has four goals and seven points in six games in the AHL this season.
His speed, skill, and finish are all attributes the Canucks could use right now and in the future, but the Canucks might have avoided putting in a claim because of his smaller size and likely need to be put in an offensive role. They won’t be the only team kicking themselves if he makes it back to the NHL and puts up points this season.
Magnus Paajarvi
Paajarvi is an interesting case, a player that seems like the definition of a tweener: too good for the AHL, but not good enough for the NHL. But a look at the underlying numbers suggest a player who is already useful at the NHL level and potentially poised for a breakout.
At the very least, Paajarvi is a solid puck possession player who could not possibly be worse than Skille on the fourth line and could quite possibly be significantly better. That said, when a former 10th overall pick fails to put up points and gets waived multiple times, you can understand a team being a bit gun-shy.
Dylan McIlrath
On the same day Paajarvi went on waivers, fellow 10th overall pick Dylan McIlrath was placed on waivers by the Rangers. McIlrath may have been a terrible pick—Cam Fowler went two picks later—but he’s a decent depth defender and is still just 24.
Honestly, though, the Canucks aren’t likely to claim any defencemen when they have eight of them on the roster. The Canucks are loath to waive Alex Biega, as they need him to avoid exposing any other defencemen in the expansion draft. Heavens, if they lost Biega, they’d have to expose Luca Sbisa, which would be an utter disaster. Can you imagine?
Teemu Pulkkinen
Pulkkinen is in a similar boat to Paajarvi: way too good for the AHL, hasn’t been able to put up points in the NHL. The 24-year-old winger had 34 goals and 61 points in just 46 AHL games two years ago and has 12 goals and 21 points in 85 NHL games since then.
The issue with Pulkkinen is that he lacks the foot speed to make up for his lack of size. He has all sorts of skill and a devastating slapshot, but without strong skating, he doesn’t create the opportunities to use that shot.
Still, the Canucks need goalscoring. There had to be someway for the Canucks to give Pulkkinen a chance to put his finishing ability to use. But he’s been on waivers twice this season and the Canucks let him pass by.
Milan Michalek
Coming off an injury-riddled season and makes $4 million against the cap. Decent player, but no room in the inn. Next!
Zbynek Michalek
Defenceman making $3.2 million against the cap, doesn’t have the benefit of youth. Next!
Mason Raymond
Moving on...
So, could the Canucks have used one or two of these players? Perhaps. Sven Andrighetto and Teemu Pulkkinen both seemed worth taking a risk, while Magnus Paajarvi could have at least been a solid possession player on the fourth line. At the very least, the Canucks could have used one of these players ahead of Jayson Megna, Michael Zalewski, and Jack Skille.
That said, like any players on waivers, they each have significant flaws: size, skating, and inability to put the puck in the net.
There’s also the psychological impact to consider. What would the reaction be from the current Canucks to bringing in waiver claims? Would they see them as smart moves or desperate ones? Would bringing in someone like Andrighetto ahead of Skille, who seemed to earn a spot in the pre-season, have a negative impact?
While I would love to dismiss such concerns and focus solely on what a player does on the ice, a general manager does have to consider such elements. Maybe Benning worries about changing things up too much early in the season and would rather watch things play out a little bit longer. Or maybe he never even considered claiming any of these players because they don’t fit whatever mold he has in his head for what the ideal Canuck should be.
But the fact is that the Canucks are not a very good team. If young players with potential pop up on the waiver wire, perhaps Benning shouldn't care about what the impact might be on the current season. The Canucks lack depth in their prospect pool and adding someone like Andrighetto or Pulkkinen would give their depth a boost. When the worst that could happen is losing Jack Skille on waivers, there seems little reason not to take that chance.
