Canucks place Alex Biega on waivers

With everyone thinking about the hit that injured star forward Elias Pettersson on everyone’s mind, the Canucks had to continue to trudge along and make moves for the next contest.

Yesterday, forward Antoine Roussel was activated from the injured reserve and was noticeable in his first game with the Canucks, scoring a goal on a penalty shot. The move to activate Roussel was announced yesterday:

It’s mentioned in the release that ‘Alex Biega is designated for assignment’. Since this move was made after the 9 am PT waiver declaration on Saturday, Biega would be placed on waivers on Sunday, and that happened this morning:

The Canucks were able to do this by exercising Article 16.12(b) in the NHL/NHLPA collective bargaining agreement, which is below:

They submitted to the NHL that they would waive Alex Biega the following day and immediately assign him to Utica (if he clears) and the NHL would allow them to temporarily exceed the 23 man roster. This allows the Canucks to activate Roussel, designate Alex Biega as non-roster, and then dress the forward for the game.

This is done because the Canucks weren’t 100% sure that Roussel would be good to go for the game against the Panthers on Saturday and wanted to be sure following the morning skate and meetings. Once it was determined that the gritty forward was clear to play by the medical staff, it was past the deadline, and thus the Canucks had to use this option to ensure they dressed their optimal lineup. The organization used that same Article in the past when they acquired Derrick Pouliot right before the 2017-18 season.

The down-side is the Canucks had to waive Biega today despite losing Elias Pettersson and Jay Beagle to injury in the game against the Panthers. It’s unlucky that the Canucks suffered the two injuries the same game and likely wouldn’t waive Biega, despite him being a defenceman, but they were granted the allowance to exceed the roster limit and it clearly states he has to go on waivers and has to be loaned the next day.

Biega is in the first year of a two year deal that pays him an AAV of $850,000 per season. Since it is a one-way deal, the organization has to pay him that amount regardless of being in the NHL or AHL.

At this moment, there is no information on who the Canucks will recall to replace Beagle and Pettersson in the lineup but we should get an idea within the coming hours as the Comets play their third game in three days. If someone like Adam Gaudette is scratched, it’s fair to believe that he is on his way to Pittsburgh to meet with the Canucks.