Three players were placed on waivers in the NHL on Saturday: New York Rangers forward Jake Leschyshyn, Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jordie Benn and Boston Bruins depth center Vinni Lettieri.
Leschyshyn is especially interesting, given his name has been linked to a possible move involving Patrick Kane to the Rangers. Leschyshyn has no points in 35 games between the Rangers and Golden Knights this season but has six points in 76 games over the past two seasons. A depth forward, Leschyshyn, 28, is on the first year of a three-year deal with a cap hit of $766,667.
According to PuckPedia, Leschyshyn had to be put on waivers by Saturday to accrue $1.75 million in extra cap space. Another move, like trading Vitali Kravtsov, will still be required to make a move involving Kane work.
Benn, 35, has been in and out of the lineup for the Leafs, putting up two points in 12 games. He also has a pair of points in four AHL games while battling injuries at points. Benn, a veteran of 607 games, has played for Dallas, Montreal, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Minnesota. The Leafs have seven other defenders on the roster, including the injured Rasmus Sandin.
Lettieri, 28, has spent the entire season in the AHL, recording 16 goals and 37 points in 41 games with the Providence Bruins. He has 18 points in 82 games between the Rangers and Anaheim Ducks, highlighted by a career-high 10 points in 31 games last year.
In other news, the St. Louis Blues claimed Kasperi Kapanen from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The waiver-wire updates come with just six days to go ahead of the NHL’s trade deadline. Expect more moves via waivers over the next few days as the teams look to clear cap space for any last-minute moves.
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