Sharks place Nick Leddy on waivers

A veteran rearguard is on the wire and might be heading to the minors.

On Sunday, the San Jose Sharks placed defenseman Nick Leddy on waivers, making him available to the other 31 teams in the NHL.

If Leddy were to clear waivers on Monday, he could be eligible to be assigned to the Sharks’ American Hockey League affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. It would mark the first time since the 2010-11 season that the Eden Prairie, Minn. native would be in the minor leagues.

Leddy came to San Jose this past July after being claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Blues. However, while the Sharks have been playing like a much-improved team, the 34-year-old hasn’t been a big part of the success. He missed nine games back in the fall due to an upper-body injury. Leddy has been in and out of the lineup ever since, sitting in the press box for several games.

In the 19 games Leddy has played in, he has only posted four assists, though he did notch a helper in his last game this past Friday against the Detroit Red Wings. He has a plus/minus of -9 while averaging 17:30 of ice time.

It has been a couple of tough years for Leddy. Injuries and scratches led to him playing just 31 games with the Blues last season, the fewest in a single season of his NHL career.

Leddy is in the final season of his four-year contract, which he signed with the Blues in July 2022. The deal carries a cap hit of $4 million, with a modified no-trade clause that requires the player to submit a 16-team no-trade list. In 1,081 regular-season games, he has scored 75 goals and 345 assists for 420 points. He has another 39 points in 137 postseason games, winning a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013.

The Sharks (24-20-3) are fourth in the Pacific Division, holding onto the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.