Los Angeles Kings general manager Rob Blake wanted to make it clear that the decision to place goaltender Cal Petersen on waivers was not meant to send a message to his team.
Blake addressed the situation after the goaltender cleared waivers on Thursday saying the decision was made to get Petersen back on track.
"Cal can go back to the American League, play in games and get that get structure we believe in then come back and help us," Blake explained to reporters. "That was the reason behind the decision.
"We didn't do it for a message. We did it to help Cal and get him in a situation to play in games and we believe he is a good goalie and we believe he is going to come back here and help."
Blake did not have any timeline for how long he expected Petersen to play in the AHL with the Ontario Reign. He is hoping that working with goaltending coach Billy Ranford and playing in games regularly will get him back to the level expected of him.
While Blake said the decision to waive Petersen wasn't meant to be a wakeup call, Kings coach Todd McLellan and some of the players disagreed.
The 28-year-old is in the first year of a three-year, $15-million contract but has struggled to overtake Jonathan Quick on the depth chart. He has a modified no-trade clause, according to CapFriendly.com.
In 10 games this season, including nine starts, Petersen has struggled to a 5-3-2 record with a 3.75 goals-against average and .865 save percentage. He allowed four goals on 16 shots in Tuesday's 9-8 overtime loss to the Kraken.
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