The Columbus Blue Jackets are down to the kind of roster math that forces hard choices, and Miles Wood ended up being the casualty.
With Adam Fantilli locked in and Monday’s roster deadline closing in, Columbus had a few spots still in play and a cap crunch to manage. That pushed the team to place Wood on waivers, a move first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. If he clears, the Blue Jackets can send him to the Cleveland Monsters.
The move also gives a clearer read on where the opening night roster is headed.
Wood had already played in two of the first three preseason games, which mattered because coach Rick Bowness said earlier in camp that Saturday night’s game in Detroit would look as close as possible to the NHL roster. Since Wood had already reached the veteran maximum of two preseason appearances, he was out of Saturday’s preseason finale.
That leaves Luca Del Bel Belluz, Jack Williams and Danton Heinen in the mix for the last forward spots, and all three are in Saturday night’s lineup. Williams does not need waivers to go to the AHL, while Heinen and Del Bel Belluz do.
In the usual flow of things, the waivers-exempt player is the easiest one to send down unless he clearly outplays the others. How that shakes out remains to be seen.
Wood’s contract is the other big piece here. He carries a $2.5 million cap hit this season and for two more years, making him the priciest bubble option on the roster. If he clears waivers, Columbus can bury part of that salary, with $1.225 million available to be buried this season.
His production also fell off after he returned from a lower-body injury last season, and his speed, his best calling card, was affected.
General manager Don Waddell said Thursday that his hope was to avoid using LTIR right away, even if it became necessary a little later. Moving Wood onto waivers nudges the Blue Jackets in that direction, though more could still be coming.
One possibility is defenseman Carson Soucy. Columbus still has to decide whether to offer him a contract, and the need is real with Dante Fabbro injured and Damon Severson still working back from shoulder surgery. The waiver move gives the team a bit more room to make that call.
Fantilli’s deal left the Blue Jackets right up against the cap, and when you add in the injuries and the battle for the final roster spots, the reason for waiving Wood is plain. It was a business move, plain and simple.
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