Three veterans placed on waivers today, including Andreas Athanasiou
The Leafs drop a player and there's a solid backup goalie up for grabs. Any takers?
This just in, the following players have been placed on NHL waivers today:
Matthew Benning - D (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Andreas Athanasiou - F (Chicago Blackhawks)
Kaapo Kakhonen - G (Colorado Avalanche)
From NHL insider Elliotte Friedman:
Benning was recently acquired by the Leafs in the Timothy Liljegren trade with the San Jose Sharks and it wasn't immediately clear how he'd fit into the Leafs' plans. GM Brad Treliving made it clear that he sees Benning as an NHL quality player and he'd do his best job to find Benning a fit with another NHL team. Evidently nobody was willing to acquire Benning via trade, but don't be surprised if he's claimed tomorrow on waivers. This could be a situation where Treliving knows that a claim is likely and he's simply doing right by Benning.
As for Athanasiou, where do I start? He's played just five games for the struggling Blackhawks after playing just 28 games for the team last season. In all likelihood he's headed to the AHL. He's just two seasons removed from a 20 goal and 40 point campaign with the team in 2023, but that's sort of been Athanasiou's track record for his entire career. He's the streakiest of streaky players who can pop off big time and then go cold for weeks at a time. In 492 career NHL games he has 127 goals and 245 points.
Finally, Kakhonen he's played just a single game for the Avs this season. He's a bit of a journeyman backup at this point, having played for the Minnesota Wild, San Jose Sharks, New Jersey Devils and Avs in just four years. He's unlikely to ascend to the starting position in the NHL, but he could provide some solid depth for a team out there. Again, don't be surprised if he gets picked up by another team tomorrow.
