Detroit Red Wings forward Mikael Samuelsson and Calgary Flames defenseman Shane O’Brien were waived by their teams this afternoon.
The Red Wings are expecting Johan Franzen to return to action on Sunday and to make room for him they opted to waive Samuelsson.
Samuelsson’s season has been a rough one, playing in 26 games with one goal and two assists. He’s been a healthy scratch often this season and has lost his spot in the lineup to the younger players like Tomas Tatar, Tomas Jurco, and Gustav Nyquist.
O’Brien landing on waivers also doesn’t come as much of a surprise, although he’s had more game time this season. In 45 games, he has three assists and 58 penalty minutes. Kris Russell’s return to the Flames lineup forced O’Brien to the press box. He has averaged 11:16 of ice time this season as a third-pair blue liner.
Both players have until noon tomorrow to be claimed. If they go unclaimed, they’re likely destined for the AHL.