Skyler Brind'Amour was one of five Carolina Hurricanes placed on NHL waivers Friday afternoon, on a list that ran 91 names deep.
Ninety-one names on a single sheet. That's what cutdown week looks like when front offices across the league hit the clock at the same time.
Of that group, 61 players were still sitting on the wire as available, waiting to see if anyone bites before the claim window closes.
Another 29 have already cleared. Nobody put in a claim, and those players can now be assigned without their clubs worrying about losing them for nothing.
Only one player on the entire sheet changed addresses. An Ottawa goaltender was awarded to the Vancouver Canucks, the lone award on the list.
One claim on 91 names is an ugly ratio. It's a loud verdict on how much depth teams stockpiled over the summer without ever planning to use it.
Minnesota and Toronto quietly clear eight players apiece
Buffalo and Calgary led the available column with eight names each. Lindy Ruff and Ryan Huska are trimming deep, and neither camp is being sentimental about it.
The Sabres fell 3-2 in overtime in Detroit last night and host Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon. The Flames visit Edmonton Saturday after a shootout loss in Seattle.
Anaheim and Boston put five apiece on the wire. Joel Quenneville and Marco Sturm now run tighter camps, with fewer places to hide if the depth chart wobbles.
Then there's the cleared side. Minnesota and Toronto matched each other with eight players each, meaning 16 of the 29 cleared names came from two organizations.
The Wild host Dallas tonight. Bill Guerin's front office watched eight bodies pass through untouched, and those players now land wherever the Wild want them.
Toronto's timing is sharper. Jim Hiller's club hosts Montreal on Tuesday, so every cleared name buys the Leafs roster flexibility before that puck drop.
Los Angeles cleared five of its own. Peter Laviolette's Kings didn't lose a single one, which is either a relief or an insult depending on where you sit in the locker room.
Back to Carolina. Rod Brind'Amour's group beat Nashville 6-5 last night, and five Hurricanes still sit available alongside three more who already cleared.
Eight total from one organization. For a team that runs its system like a commuter train schedule, that's Eric Tulsky's front office telling the depth guys exactly where they stand.
The goaltending column is its own story. Five goalies are sitting available right now. Is anybody desperate enough to bite?
Vancouver already made its move. The Canucks are 0-3-0 in exhibition play under Manny Malhotra, and grabbing a netminder off the wire says they weren't comfortable standing pat.
The 61 still available won't all sit there. Some will be in new sweaters by the weekend, most will be packing for the AHL, and Vancouver will find out fast whether one goalie was enough.
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Were the Maple Leafs right to run eight players through waivers before hosting Montreal?
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