The Montreal Canadiens began the 2016-17 season with 24 players on the roster, compensating for the loss of Jeff Petry during opening-night action.
Needing to get it down to the 23-man limit, the final decision was to place Sven Andrighetto on waivers for the purpose of sending him to the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps.
He cleared the waiver process without being claimed by any of the other 29 teams, and can now join the farm team in Newfoundland.
#canadiens Sven Andrighetto clears waivers. Good news for the organization. #tvasports
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) October 15, 2016
He will be an important offensive player for the team that faces a perennial struggle to outscore its defensive lapses. He could be in the lineup as soon as tonight’s game, which takes place in Albany, New York at 5:00 PM EDT.
Now that he’s cleared, he can be brought back into the Canadiens lineup should the need arise without requiring waivers to return to St. John’s, provided that return happens within 30 days, or he plays fewer than 10 NHL games in that time.
In 56 NHL games played with the Canadiens, Andrighetto has nine goals, 11 asissts, and just six penalty minutes, sporting an impressive +11 penalty differential. He’s a good player to have as part of the organizational depth, so it will be a relief for the management staff that he remains with the club.
