The Carolina Hurricanes got some good news. 30-year-old forward Chad Larose is ready to return from a concussion and Carolina has activated him from the injured reserve list.
At the same time, they announced that 28-year-old forward Tim Wallace and, surprisingly enough, Jussi Jokinen have been placed on waivers.
Going into this season, Jokinen had been on the decline with 65, 52, and 46 points in each of his previous three seasons.
With the additions of Jordan Staal and Alexander Semin, Jokinen has also saw his playing time dip in 2013. The rise of Riley Nash has further marginalized Jokinen, according to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston.
Jokinen has five goals and 10 points in 30 games this season, so a change of scenery might be right for him, but the big factor is his $3 million annual salary through the 2013-14 campaign.
That’s not a terrible price for the 29-year-old forward if he’s able to bounce back, but Carolina has put itself into a tight spot cap-wise after inking Semin to a five-year, $35 million extension. The Hurricanes don’t have any intention of sending Jokinen to the minors and are likely hoping that someone will relieve them of his cap hit.
Sportsnet’s Johnston reports that there has been interest in Jokinen, so it certainly wouldn’t be surprising if he’s wearing a different uniform soon.
In other news, the Ottawa Senators have waived 24-year-old forward Kaspars Daugavins, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger.