For the second straight day, there is waiver activity in the NHL as the Canucks announced that they’ve placed wingers Nic Petan and Sheldon Dries on waivers. The intention is for both players to report to Abbotsford of the AHL for the playoffs if they clear on Sunday. Both players had to be waived in order to be sent down as they’ve played in more than 10 NHL contests since last clearing waivers.
Petan signed a two-way deal with Vancouver last summer with the intention that he’d be a key performer at the AHL level and he did exactly that, notching a dozen goals and 32 assists in 36 games with the AHL Canucks. He earned a recall to the big club in mid-March. The 27-year-old was a regular after that point, getting into 18 games with Vancouver. But he struggled offensively, collecting just two assists while averaging a little over 10 minutes per game. He’s set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
As for Dries, he also signed a two-way deal with the Canucks last summer with an eye on him playing a big role with Abbotsford. He had a very strong season offensively in the minors with 35 goals and 27 assists in 54 games. That performance earned him a regular spot in Vancouver for the past three weeks. The 28-year-old, who also will be unrestricted this summer, had a bit more success than Petan, picking up a pair of goals plus an assist in 11 games while also averaging a little over 10 minutes a night.
If both players clear as expected on Sunday (if they’re claimed, they’re ineligible to play the rest of the season), they can then be sent to Abbotsford.
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