Anaheim Ducks claim forward Jayson Megna off waivers from Colorado Avalanche

The Anaheim Ducks have claimed 32-year-old center Jayson Megna off waivers from the San Jose Sharks.

Megna, the older brother of former Duck and current San Jose Sharks forward Jaycob Megna, failed to record a point in 14 games as a depth forward for the Avalanche. He had six points in nine games for the AHL’s Colorado Eagles to start the season.

Megna has played 162 games over nine seasons in the NHL, recording 10 goals and 25 points with the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks and the Avalanche. Megna was originally signed by the Penguins as an undrafted player in 2012.

The Avalanche also placed Alex Galchenyuk on waivers on Monday, but he cleared just a few days after signing a contract to end the season.

The move comes as the Avalanche deal with a rash of injuries. Artturi Lehkonen, Bowen Byram, Jean-Luc Foudy, Josh Manson, Valeri Nichushkin, Gabriel Landeskog and Evan Rodrigues are all dealing with injuries, and Nathan MacKinnon also was forced to leave Monday’s game, with his timeline for a return still unclear. The Avalanche are currently fighting in the wild-card race while sitting fourth in the Central Division behind Dallas, Winnipeg and Minnesota.

Anaheim has also had to deal with its own significant injury issues, with Jamie Drysdale unlikely to return to the blueline for the rest of the season. Forwards Isac Lundestrom and Derek Grant are also out for the time being.

The Ducks currently sit last in the NHL with 15 points, and Megna won’t really move the needle. He’ll give the team an extra body deeper in the lineup, and perhaps it might mean something about Mason McTavish’s short-term future after he has struggled in recent weeks. That might be a bit of a stretch, but perhaps management wouldn’t mind giving him a few nights off instead of struggling in the bottom six.