Panthers' Waiver Status in 2011-12

Waivers in the NHL are an ugly, confusing thing. There are a lot of rules that determine a player's eligibility or exemption from the waiver process. With a lot of new players on the team and a larger number of prospects than the Panthers have had in a long time, the possibilities for confusion are great. In the hopes of clearing up some of that confusion, here is the LBC guide to Panthers' players waiver status in the 2011-2012 season.

A lot of decisions need to be made about the Panthers' roster this season and it would be foolish to think that a player's waiver status won't enter into the decision. If a decision between two players is close, the team will likely send the player that doesn't need waivers to San Antonio rather than one who does. Therefore, it is something to keep in mind as the team makes cuts. Waivers go into effect 12 days before the start of the season. This season's date is September 26 24. September 25 is an off day after the home game against the Lightning and before the two games against the Stars. Look for a lot of cuts to be made that day, particularly for borderline players that require waivers. The team would likely want to avoid another Michael Grabner situation this year.

Types of Waivers

A quick review of the three types of waivers:

Regular Waivers: Players who are waiver eligible must pass through regular waivers to be moved between the NHL and the minor leagues. While on waivers (24 hours or 48 hours on the weekends), the other 29 teams have the opportunity to claim that player. If a player has played less than 10 games or spent less than 30 days on an NHL roster while called up, he can be returned to the minor leagues without passing through waivers again. Waiver status is determined by a combination of factors including age, first NHL season, and games played.

Re-entry Waivers: Players who are waiver eligible must pass through re-entry waivers to be recalled to the NHL, unless they are exempt from re-entry waivers. Any players who are on an entry level deal are exempt from re-entry waivers, as are any players on two-way contracts that pay them $105,000 or less in the AHL. Certain veteran minor league players are also exempt. Any skaters who have played 320 professional games (or 180 for goalies) in North America and have played less than 80 games in NHL in the last season and less than 40 in the previous season are exempt. Any player exempt from re-entry waivers, but eligible for regular waivers will instead have to pass through regular waivers to be recalled.

Unconditional Waivers: Unconditional Waivers are required before a team can buy out a player's contract. They are not covered by this article.

Forwards

The following forwards are eligible for both regular and re-entry waivers based on their salary and number of games played in the league. If these players pass through waivers they can only be assigned to the AHL unless they agree to be assigned elsewhere (in practice elsewhere usually means Europe).

• Stephen Weiss
• Jack Skille
• Mike Santorelli
• Tomas Fleischmann
• Scottie Upshall
• Sean Bergenheim
• Matt Bradley
• Steven Reinprecht
• Kris Versteeg
• Marcel Goc
• Tomas Kopecky
• David Booth