5 Players Placed On Waivers

The waiver wire is very busy today (Dec. 18). Craig Smith (Boston Bruins), Austin Czarnik (Detroit Red Wings), and Jason Demers (Edmonton Oilers) have each been placed on waivers. Meanwhile, Nikita Soshnikov (New York Islanders) and Danila Zhuravlyov have been placed on unconditional waivers, as their contracts are set to be terminated.

Out of this quintet, Craig Smith stands out. Once a second-line forward for Boston, the veteran winger has struggled mightily this season and has not been able to cement a permanent spot in the bottom six because of it. In 17 games on the year, the 33-year-old has one goal and four points. He may get some interest due to his past success, but his $3.1 million is not cheap.

Czarnik could also get attention around the league. After all, he was claimed off of waivers last season by the Seattle Kraken and then reclaimed by the New York Islanders after. In 11 contests with Detroit this season, he has two goals and a helper.

Demers just inked an NHL contract with the Oilers on Sunday. However, with the Oilers wanting to keep him in the AHL for now, they needed to place him on waivers first.

As for Soshnikov and Zhuravlyov, their contract terminations mean that they likely have found opportunities to play overseas.