Sharks claim Ryan Dzingel off waivers

The San Jose Sharks have claimed Ryan Dzingel off of waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

This comes after a Saturday night trade that sent Dzingel from the Arizona Coyotes to the Toronto Maple Leafs, along with Ilya Lyubushkin, in exchange for Nick Ritchie and a conditional second/third round pick.

Dzingel was placed on waivers by the Leafs in order to make room for Timothy Liljegren on the roster, who was sent down to accommodate for the trade which put the Leafs over the maximum of players on the roster. With Liljegren being the only player on the roster that doesn’t require waivers, he was the obvious choice for a temporary fix.

In his seventh NHL season, Dzingel has just four goals and seven points in 26 games this season, all with the Coyotes. It’s a far cry from his 26 goals and 56 points in 78 games in 2018-19, as the 29-year-old has struggled since that big year.

He joins a Sharks team that has lost its last six games in a row, and finds itself sitting in seventh in the Pacific Division with a 22-22-5 record. Whether Dzingel makes an impact remains to be seen, but he’ll certainly get a better opportunity here than he would have with Toronto.

The Sharks placed Lane Pederson on waivers today to make room for Dzingel on the roster. He has just two assists in 26 games for the Sharks this season.