Two NHL players placed on waivers for April 15

A couple of veterans are seemingly heading back down to the minors in time for the postseason.

On Wednesday, the Detroit Red Wings placed forward Dominik Shine on waivers, as did the Tampa Bay Lightning with defenseman Steven Santini.

If both players clear the wire on Thursday, they’ll be eligible to be assigned to their respective American Hockey League affiliates, with the Calder Cup Playoffs expected to begin soon.

Shine has been with the Red Wings since being called up from the Grand Rapids Griffins, the team’s primary affiliate, in late February. He has appeared in 18 games, scoring three goals, with the minor-league veteran potting his first in the NHL on March 8 against the New Jersey Devils.

The Pinckney, Mich. native signed a two-year, two-way contract extension to stay in the Red Wings organization in January. The deal, set to kick in next season, carries an NHL AAV of $875,000 and a minor-league cap hit of $350,000. Shine has scored four points in 27 career NHL games.

In 38 games with Grand Rapids this season, the 32-year-old has scored 21 goals and 16 assists for 37 points, good for fourth on the team in goals and sixth in points.

The Griffins (49-15-4-1) have clinched the top seed in the Western Conference after a historic start to the season.

Santini has been up and down between the Lightning and Syracuse Crunch this year. The 31-year-old has appeared in 11 games for Tampa, with his one point coming as an assist against the Calgary Flames on Nov. 26. He’s also played 33 games for Syracuse, posting six assists thus far.

Santini is in the first season of a two-year, two-way contract he signed last June. The deal has an NHL cap hit of $775,000 and a minor-league salary of $250,000. The Bronxville, N.Y. native has scored five goals and 19 assists for 24 against in 135 NHL regular-season games.

The Crunch (40-23-3-4) are currently second in the AHL’s North Division, hoping to catch the Laval Rocket for first place.