The New Jersey Devils placed Sami Vatanen on waivers Sunday, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, a move that the team hopes could be useful just before the trade deadline.
Vatanen is a name that has been brought up as a trade chip for the selling Devils and while New Jersey has struggled this year, Vatanen has been solid. The 29-year-old has two goals and five points in 29 games and has a plus/minus of +1 this season, something hard to do with a losing team. Another positive is that Vatanen has remained healthy all season, something he hasn’t been successful at doing the last few years.
While his contract is not particularly exciting at a $4.5M AAV, that likely means that the defenseman will not be claimed for that amount. However, the Devils may have a better chance in trading him if the blueliner has already cleared waivers, meaning teams can place him on their taxi squad. On top of that, the Devils can offer to retain half of his salary, making his contract somewhat more bearable. Teams also wouldn’t have to worry about his salary for next year as he will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
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