The Buffalo Sabres have claimed defenseman Christian Wolanin off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings.
The defender was placed on the waiver wire yesterday, and while the Kings hoped he would clear and be assigned to the Ontario Reign in the American Hockey League, that wasn’t the case.
Wolanin didn’t get into much action in Los Angeles during the 2020-21 season. He was traded from the Ottawa Senators to the Kings in late March in exchange for 25-year-old center Mike Amadio, and suited up for three games in the NHL, putting up no points, and two games in the AHL with the Reign, putting up three points, all assists.
He also participated in the 2021 IIHF World Championship, acting out with a standout performance of one goal and six points through 10 games, win Bronze with the United States National Team.
The 26-year-old is on a one-year contract worth $750,000 and will be an unrestricted free agent next July.
The loss is fairly minor in the end, as the Kings still have Kale Clague, Austin Strand, Sean Durzi and Jacob Moverare in the depth charts. It’s still unfortunate to lose reliable depth.
In a retrospective move, the Buffalo Sabres have placed 22-year-old defender Henri Jokiharju on Injured Reserve.