The Wild announced that defenseman Travis Dermott has been placed on waivers. The move will open up a roster spot for an additional AHL recall tomorrow after swapping out Jakub Lauko for Joel Eriksson Ek on injured reserve this morning.
Dermott has only been waived once during his pro career, which is how the Wild acquired him from the Oilers in December. Minnesota needed an experienced presence on the blue line then, with Jonas Brodin and Jacob Middleton on the shelf. However, Dermott’s role has evaporated since the Wild have gotten healthier on the blue line. He’s made nine appearances since the claim over two months ago, going without a point or hit while averaging a paltry 11:23 per game.
Minnesota has carried eight defensemen for much of the last few months. However, with the suspended Ryan Hartman taking up the usual roster spot they devote for an extra forward, they need another body on offense for their two-game road trip that starts Thursday in Utah. It’s unclear who exactly the corresponding recall from AHL Iowa will be, but a forward will be Dermott’s replacement on the active roster tomorrow.
If Edmonton submits a claim for Dermott before tomorrow’s deadline and is the only team to do so, they could send him directly to their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield without having to expose him to the wire again. However, if he clears, it will mark Dermott’s first non-conditioning AHL assignment in seven years.
Appearing in each of the last eight NHL seasons, Dermott has a career 16-46–62 scoring line in 348 games with the Oilers, Wild, Coyotes, Canucks, and Maple Leafs. Injuries have limited Dermott’s playing time over the last few years, but the 28-year-old lefty can also play his off-side comfortably, making him a valuable depth asset. Selected 34th overall by Toronto in the 2015 draft, he has decent career possession numbers with a 50.9 CF% and cumulative +23.4 expected rating at even strength, so he remains a decent replacement-level player in bottom-pairing usage despite his lack of offense.