The Vancouver Canucks made the first move on the waiver wire Tuesday, claiming defenseman Cameron Crotty just hours before the Minnesota Wild meet the Montreal Canadiens.
Crotty was placed on waivers by Ottawa on October 28, opening the door for every NHL team, including Montreal, to make a claim. Minnesota got him on October 29, but the Wild won’t keep him long. Vancouver swooped in and added the 27-year-old Ottawa native, who is now headed to his third organization in less than two weeks.
For the Canucks, it’s another small shuffle in a season that has already gone sideways. Vancouver lost to the Flyers last night, stretched its skid to six games, and sits at the bottom of the NHL standings with a 3-16-1 record. The club has surrendered 90 goals in 20 games, so Crotty is more of a low-risk look than a fix.
Minnesota, meanwhile, arrives in Montreal with a much different picture. The Wild lead the Central Division at 12-3-4, and losing Crotty off the roster shouldn’t move the needle much for a team that’s rolling. He has not recorded a point in three games this season.
Tyler Pitlick was also on the waiver wire, but he went unclaimed today. The 35-year-old former Canadiens center has gone without a point in 12 games for Minnesota this season.
Montreal enters the night at 11-3-3 and has been especially sharp lately, going 8-0-2 over its last 10 games without a regulation loss. The Canadiens are coming off a 4-2 win over the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Saturday, while Minnesota dropped a 4-3 overtime decision to the Lightning.
So while the waiver news adds a wrinkle, it doesn’t really change the shape of the matchup at the Bell Centre. Minnesota still brings the depth to make this interesting, and Montreal still carries the momentum.
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