The Arizona Coyotes have claimed 25-year-old defenseman Kevin Connauton off waivers from the Columbus Blue Jackets, the team announced Wednesday.
This follows the Blue Jackets waive of the defender on Tuesday, making some space on a congested blue line that briefly featured nine defensemen, even after they waived Andrew Bodnarchuk the week before.
Connauton played 27 games this season for the Jackets, scoring one goal and eight assists. It’s the second year in a row that Connauton has been waived and claimed, going to Columbus last season after Dallas waived him.
Kevin Connauton has been claimed on waivers by Arizona –> https://t.co/nCLmWrJ2zp #CBJ pic.twitter.com/GZDdpqBqQN
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) January 13, 2016
In a related move, the Coyotes have sent All-Star captain John Scott to the AHL, coach Dave Tippett said Wednesday. He also said that the demotion has nothing to do with the All-Star Game and that they will recall Scott soon to ensure that he’s at the All-Star Game, representing the Coyotes.
The reassignment gives the Coyotes roster space for Connauton. It’s an easy move because Scott has already cleared waivers recently and doesn’t need to clear again in order to be sent down now. They’ve also given Scott a couple of days to report because his wife is pregnant with twins, according Craig Morgan of AZ Sports.
With the team planning to recall Scott soon and giving him a couple of days to report, it looks from the outside like it’s a roster move on paper and that it’s unlikely that Scott will actually wind up playing in the AHL.
The team also says they expect to make another roster move in the next 48 hours to accommodate bringing Scott back onto the NHL roster, according to Dave Vest of the Coyotes’ site.
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