Oilers Place Markus Niemelainen On Waivers

The Edmonton Oilers have made a roster move, placing defenseman Markus Niemelainen on waivers.

Niemelainen, 25, was sidelined with an injury, and this waiver placement indicates that he is now good to return to action. Assuming he clears waivers, he will begin the season with the Bakersfield Condors and be a prime call-up candidate for when injuries inevitably occur during the season.

Niemelainen appeared in 23 games last season for the Oilers, where he failed to get on the scoresheet.

Teams looking for a bit of defensive depth could consider claiming Niemelainen, but there is also a pretty good chance that he will make it to the AHL without any trouble.

In 43 career NHL games with the Oilers, Niemelainen has one assist to go along with a minus-2 rating. We will need to wait and see if he gets the opportunity to improve upon these NHL stats at some point during this season from here.

photo credit: © James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports