Three veteran NHL players were placed on waivers Monday.
Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Matt Benning, Chicago Blackhawks winger Andreas Athanasiou and Colorado Avalanche goalie Kaapo Kahkonen were all waived and are available to be claimed by any team.
Benning was acquired by the Maple Leafs in the Timothy Liljegren trade with the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 30. A veteran of 464 NHL games, Benning has yet to play a game with the Maple Leafs since the trade.
Athanasiou has had trouble getting into the Blackhawks lineup this season and has no points in five games. He was limited to just two goals and nine points in 28 games last season due to a groin injury.
"I just think with his injury last year that kept him out a lot of last year, he missed a lot of hockey then and unfortunately just not clicking on all cylinders yet this year, not in the lineup that much. He hasn’t really played a lot of games," Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson said Monday morning, according to Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio. "So that was the message, if you get picked up, that’s probably good for you. That means you’ll be playing in the NHL. But if not, we need him to just go play some games and get his skill matched up with his confidence. This league is really not for that. That was that message."
This is the second time this season that Kahkonen has been placed on waivers as the Avalanche claimed him from the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 11. Kahkonen has made one start for the Avalanche and two starts for the AHL's Colorado Eagles this season.
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