Roster math forces another player onto waivers

The Columbus Blue Jackets were forced into a roster move Wednesday, placing defenseman Dysin Mayo on waivers after the team added Egor Zamula as an unrestricted free agent.

As NHL insider Elliotte Friedman succinctly put it, it’s a numbers game, and Mayo was the odd man out.

Mayo appeared in just two games during his 21 days on the NHL roster this season, registering one assist, four shots and one block while averaging only 8:34 of ice time. With limited opportunity to crack a crowded blue line, he never fully established himself at the NHL level. Assuming he clears waivers, Mayo is expected to spend the bulk of the remainder of the season in the minors.

The move comes on the heels of Columbus signing Egor Zamula to a one-year contract on Tuesday. Zamula had just cleared unconditional waivers and saw his contract terminated by the Pittsburgh Penguins, who had acquired him from the Philadelphia Flyers on Dec. 31 in exchange for Philip Tomasino.

Zamula’s stint in Pittsburgh ended as quick as it started after he was suspended for failing to report to the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Prior to the trade, the 24-year-old defenseman recorded one assist in 13 games with Philadelphia this season, along with two assists in three AHL games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

While Zamula’s arrival adds depth and flexibility to the Blue Jackets’ blue line, it also directly squeezed Mayo off the main roster.

In other waivers news, Anaheim Ducks' Nikita Nesterenko cleared waivers and will be assigned to the Ducks’ American Hockey League affiliate, the San Diego Gulls.