Nashville Predators Place Miikka Salomaki, Steven Santini On Waivers
By Colby Guy
The Nashville Predators have placed Miikka Salomaki and Steven Santini on waivers on Monday, reducing their roster to 22 players.
Because they didn’t make the Nashville Predators roster, Salomaki and Santini will be headed to Milwaukee (AHL) if no other team claims them in the 24 hour period in which they will be available to be claimed.
Miikka Salomaki has been a regular on the Nashville Predators roster since the 2015-16 season, serving as a fourth-line winger for the past three seasons.
He seemingly lost out on the battle for a spot in the bottom six to Daniel Carr, which makes him expendable.
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Salomaki had two assists in three preseason games, so the decision to waive him was quite a surprise, as he did look impressive when he played.
He will likely get claimed by another team that needs forward depth, but if he doesn’t he will play in Milwaukee and likely be a call-up option if anyone in the bottom six gets injured.
Steven Santini was just acquired in the deal that sent P.K. Subban to the New Jersey Devils, so him being waived also comes as a surprise.
The 24-year-old defenseman was less than impressive this preseason, as he still looks like he doesn’t belong in the NHL after splitting the last three seasons between the AHL and NHL.
However, he did at least look like a more viable option than Matt Irwin, so the decision to send him down was quite a shock.
Other teams in need of defense, such as the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers, could have a shot of claiming him off waivers, as he could be a low risk, high reward player to take.
The decision to cut the roster to 22 players instead of using all 23 spots is also a shock, but David Poile could have something else up his sleeve.
All teams are required to cut their roster to 23 players by Tuesday, so he could be looking to claim one of the players cut by other teams or he could be looking to call up a guy like Eeli Tolvanen.
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Either way, the Nashville Predators will be starting this season without Steven Santini and Miikka Salomaki on their roster.