The Oilers placed Nikita Nikitin on waivers today.... no doubt they are figuring on only $950K of cap relief but put him out there on the off chance some team in need of a veteran defenseman will bite.
I am hearing this is the first of quite a few similar moves around the NHL as teams try to get at least some cap relief on players whom they're struggling to trade.
On that note: there was a real interesting development in Philadelphia's practice on Saturday following Friday's game in New Jersey: defensemen Andrew MacDonald and Luke Schenn and forwards Sam Gagner and Vincent Lecavalier skated as extras outside the projected starting lineup. Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said afterwards that the line combinations for opening night are not set in stone but then also said he has no immediate plans to change the combinations that were used today.
With the Flyers so tight to the cap ceiling and apparently struggling to make a trade, could we see a high-priced vet (Lecavalier has a NMC so he is exempt) placed on waivers? The chances seem to be increasing.