Breaking: Young forward gets claimed off waivers!

There is some interesting activity on the waiver wire on Friday, as one player who was placed on there yesterday has been claimed to become part of new team. 

On Thursday, the Pittsburgh Penguins placed two players on waivers, in centre Jean-Sebastien De and defenseman Zach Trotman. 

Dea is coming off a pretty good season and it appears to have paid off. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet has reported that the New Jersey Devils have claimed the young forward off waivers today. 

The 24-year-old forward recorded a career-best 50 points in 70 American Hockey League games last year, ranking second to Daniel Sprong on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s scoring list. He also played five games for the Penguins, scoring his first NHL goal against Carolina on Jan. 23. He also scored at least 18 AHL goals in each of the past three seasons.

With Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford essentially guaranteeing Daniel Sprong would make the 23-man roster, there was really only two spots available and Dea did not make the cut. However, while the Pens probably would have preferred to keep him as a call up option in the minors, it seems like the Devils will get to give him a chance and who knows maybe even crack the roster sooner rather than later. 

The Penguins will have more cuts to make before the start of the regular season calendar in less than a week. A potential one is expected to come in net when the choice is made between Casey DeSmith and Tristan Jarry. The team has options with the other.

We will have to wait and see...

As for the Devils, the team has become a contender this past season and will look to pick up where they left off. Taylor Hall is the reigning Hart Trophy winner and his center Nico Hischier, has just completed his first NHL season and will be looking to impress some more. If Dea has a chance to learn from these players, he could manage to carve a place in the roster. 

The Devils have little depth down the middle, and now the acquisition of Dea seems like a good step in the right direction. 

Who knows.