Two former NHL starting goalies are among five players on NHL waivers as the season begins Tuesday.
The Anaheim Ducks placed Ville Husso on the waiver wire, while the Buffalo Sabres did the same with Alexandar Georgiev, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and PuckPedia.
Also on waivers are Carolina Hurricanes winger Juha Jaaska, Utah Mammoth center Kevin Rooney and Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Jeremy Davies.
For each player, the rest of the NHL can submit a claim on them by 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Otherwise, they’re eligible to be assigned to the AHL.
Husso, 30, was once the Detroit Red Wings‘ No. 1 netminder in 2022-23. Detroit acquired him in July 2022 after he played 40 games for the St. Louis Blues in 2021-22, posting a 25-7-6 record, 2.56 goals-against average and .919 save percentage. In his first season in Detroit, he played 56 games that year and went 26-22-7 with a 3.11 GAA, .896 SP and four shutouts.
In 2023-24, Husso played just 19 games as Alex Lyon broke out as the new starter. Last season, Detroit traded Husso to Anaheim for future considerations. He played 13 NHL games, going 2-6-3 with a 3.47 GAA and .890 SP. He also played 22 AHL games between the Grand Rapids Griffins and San Diego Gulls.
In the pre-season, Husso had a win and a loss with a 2.02 GAA and .929 SP. He’s in the first season of a two-year contract with a $2.2-million cap hit. Anaheim appears to be running with a tandem of Lukas Dostal and Petr Mrazek.
In Buffalo, Georgiev hit waivers two days after the Sabres claimed netminder Colten Ellis from the Blues. Georgiev signed a one-year contract worth $825,000 before training camp.
The 29-year-old was the Colorado Avalanche’s bona fide starter for two seasons after their Stanley Cup championship. Between 2022-23 and 2023-24, no NHL goalie had more wins than Georgiev’s 78. He even earned one second-place vote for the Vezina Trophy in 2022-23.
In the last two seasons, Georgiev hasn’t posted a save percentage above .897 and a goals-against average below 3.02. After starting last year with an 8-7-0 record, 3.38 GAA and .874 SP, the Avalanche traded him to the San Jose Sharks in a package that sent Mackenzie Blackwood the other way. Georgiev played 31 games for San Jose and posted a 3.88 GAA and .875 SP.
In the pre-season, Georgiev played 157 minutes across four games and went 1-2-1 with a 4.19 GAA and .872 SP.
Rooney, 32, signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 with the Mammoth on Monday. He recorded a goal and assist in four pre-season games for the New Jersey Devils on a professional tryout. He played 70 games last year for the Calgary Flames‘ fourth line, putting up five goals, 10 points and 109 hits.
Jaaska, 27, played 18 games for Carolina last season and recorded four assists. He added another 33 points in 53 AHL games. He didn’t play in the pre-season due to injury. He’s in the first season of a two-year contract worth $775,000 annually.
Davies, 28, recorded 11 goals and 48 points in 72 games for the AHL’s Belleville Senators last season. The 5-foot-11 blueliner was a minus-1 with one shot in two pre-season games for Vegas.
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