San Jose Sharks' Jacob Peterson (24) waits for a face-off against the Winnipeg Jets in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Forwards Oskar Lindblom, Ryan Carpenter, and Jacob Peterson all cleared NHL waivers Saturday and will now report to the San Jose Barracuda, the Sharks’ AHL affiliate.
Lindblom, Carpenter, and Peterson were all waived by the Sharks on Friday, giving other NHL teams an opportunity to put in a claim for one or more of them and potentially add them to their rosters. With the 31 other NHL teams now passing, the trio now joins a Barracuda team that opens its regular season next Friday at home against the Rockford IceHogs.
The Barracuda also plays an exhibition game against the Bakersfield Condors tonight, but Lindblom, Carpenter, and Peterson will not play.
If nothing else, by having all three remain in San Jose, the Sharks now enjoy some greater organizational depth up front should injuries begin to affect the NHL club.
Of the three forwards, Peterson might have been the likeliest to get claimed because of his production last season and relatively inexpensive salary cap hit.
Peterson, 24, was acquired by the Sharks from the Dallas Stars on March 3 in exchange for center Scott Reedy, San Jose’s fourth-round draft choice in 2017. In 11 games with the Sharks from March 23 to April 13, Peterson had two goals and six assists as he averaged just under 18 minutes of ice time per game. He has 25 points in 77 career NHL games.
Peterson’s spot on the Sharks’ roster for the start of this season, though, was hardly a guarantee after the team underwent an offseason makeover and acquired other forwards such as Mikael Granlund, Mike Hoffman, Anthony Duclair, Filip Zadina, and Givani Smith.
Per CapFriendly, Peterson this season has an NHL salary of $775,000 and an AHL salary of $375,000. Carpenter’s contract calls for him to make $400,000 in the AHL and $775,000 in the NHL.
Lindblom is due to make $2.5 million in salary this season regardless of whether he plays in the NHL or AHL. By being in the AHL, though, Lindblom’s cap hit to the Sharks is reduced to $1.35 million.
Lindblom, Carpenter, and Peterson were waived after the Sharks elected to keep William Eklund and Thomas Bordeleau on the NHL roster. Lindblom, Carpenter, and Peterson were all held without a point in preseason games, while Eklund had three points and Bordeleau had two goals in four games each.
The Sharks open the season on Thursday at home against the Vegas Golden Knights.
NOTE: The Sharks on Friday returned winger Quentin Musty to the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL. Musty, drafted 26th overall by the Sharks in June, was hurt for the majority of camp and played in one preseason game.
Originally published at Curtis Pashelka