Waivers? At this time of the season?
Well, that’s where the New Jersey Devils have decided to put forward Brian Halonen, with the sole intention of sending the veteran down to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Utica Comets.
#NEWS: We’ve assigned F Lenni Hameenaho to Utica (AHL). Additionally, we’ve placed F Brian Halonon on waivers, with the intent to loan him to Utica if he clears on Tuesday.
Halonen has been with the big club for a little over a week. He saw his first NHL action since early November, having received an early-season call-up despite not making the main roster out of training camp. He has posted one assist since re-joining the Devils, that coming on April 9 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. In 15 total games this year, a career-high in NHL appearances in a single season, the former Michigan Tech Husky has scored a goal and an assist, with a plus/minus of -1, while averaging 7:37 of ice time.
In 48 games with the Comets, the 27-year-old has registered 19 goals and 13 assists for 32 points.
Halonen is in the final season of a two-year contract that he signed in May 2024. The deal has an NHL cap hit of $775,000 and a minor-league salary of $275,000 for this season. In 19 career NHL games, he has notched just two points, while amassing 86 goals and 50 assists for 136 points in 222 games in the AHL – both regular-season and playoffs.
In another late-season move, the Devils sent forward Lenni Hameenaho to Utica. The Comets have three more games left in their regular season, and are hoping to make one last push for the last playoff spot in the AHL’s Atlantic Division. Utica sits six points back of the Rochester Americans, meaning they’d have to win out and require Rochester to lose its final three games.
