Kyle Cumiskey’s return to the NHL hit a roadblock on Thursday, as Chicago placed the veteran d-man on waivers.
Cumiskey, 27, signed with the ‘Hawks this summer after spending two seasons with Modo of the Swedish league, reuniting him with ex-Avs coach Joel Quenneville (the two spent parts of two seasons together in Colorado). A good skater, Cumiskey was thought to have a legit shot of attaining playing time with Chicago this year, especially after Nick Leddy was dealt to the Islanders in a cap-saving move.
But Cumiskey failed to crack the lineup this season as other Chicago blueliners took advantage of the situation.
Trevor van Riemsdyk has been a pleasant surprise, appearing in all three games while averaging 12:29 TOI per game. Former first-rounder David Rundblad has also been a regular, going plus-2 in three games (despite averaging less than 10 minutes a night).
Cumiskey was also caught in a numbers game with the pending return of Michal Roszival, who is close to coming back from an upper-body injury that’s sidelined him since the preseason.
“I feel great,” Rozsival said earlier this week, per ESPN. “It was another good day on the ice with the team. I’m getting closer to be 100 percent, so I’m happy with the progress.”
Should Cumiskey clear waivers, he’ll likely be headed to AHL Rockford -- where he’s set to make $400,000.