Canucks claim Cameron Crotty off waivers from Wild
The Vancouver Canucks are bringing in a fresh face with hopes of turning their fortunes around after a historically bad spell, claiming defenseman Cameron Crotty off waivers from the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.
The Canucks fell 3-1 to the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night, marking the team’s 16th loss in 17 games, and keeping them at the bottom of the NHL standings with seven points through the first 20 games of the season.
Bringing in Crotty, the Canucks will hope to add not just a new face yet to be scarred by the losing, but an experienced NHLer who will look to help the team improve from conceding an average of 4.5 goals per game.
This week marked the second time Crotty has hit the waiver wire this season. Two weeks ago, the Ottawa Senators placed the 27-year-old on waivers, allowing the Wild to claim him. While he has yet to appear with the Wild, he played in three games for the Senators to start the campaign.
The Ottawa native is in the second season of a two-year contract, with his two-way deal holding an NHL average annual value of $812,500.
With a point in 11 career NHL games, he is expected to join Vancouver’s lineup, given the team’s hesitancy to call up talent from the in-form Abbotsford Canucks, who have found success with eight wins in 12 games at the AHL level so far this season.
Led by head coach Manny Malhotra, the Canucks will look to snap the current losing streak when they take to the ice on Friday against former assistant captain JT Miller and the New York Rangers on a night which will also see Vancouver become one of the NHL’s last teams to debut their Hometown Remix jerseys, released last week.
After facing the Rangers, the Canucks will hit the road for three games against the Vegas Golden Knights, Utah Mammoth and Seattle Kraken, before returning home Nov. 21 to Quinn Hughes in the ex-captain’s second return game at Rogers Arena.
