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Kyle Dubas Urged to Claim Towering 6'5" Defenseman from Stars Off Waivers
Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas has the chance to grab a towering and physical 6'5" defenseman for free, who was just waived by the recently eliminated Dallas Stars.
Just days after the Dallas Stars were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, general manager Jim Nill raised eyebrows by placing defenseman Alex Petrovic, who had emerged as an unsung hero during the postseason for the club, on the wavier wire.
He'll have 24 hours to be claimed by any of the other 31 NHL teams before being assigned back to the AHL affiliate Texas Stars.
While Petrovic isn't known for piling up the points, he's much better suited for physical play as his opponents found out on multiple occasions during the Stars' 3rd straight trip to the WCF.
Something that the Penguins are lacking right now are both size and strength on the blue line, 2 key areas that could be filled by Petrovic with a simple claim off waivers.
He would be extremely affordable, as he's under contract for another year with an AAV (average annual value) of $775,000.
Petrovic, who played most of the regular season in the AHL, played in 17 playoff games for Dallas and also scored a game-winning goal in the 2nd round against the Winnipeg Jets.
He later attributed it to to staying ready and making the most of his chance.
I think for me it was just staying ready. You never know when that opportunity will come, so whenever it does, you just want to take advantage of it and just make the most of it.
| POLL | ||
MAI 31 | 155 ANSWERS Kyle Dubas Urged to Claim Towering 6'5" Defenseman from Stars Off Waivers Should the Penguins try and grab Alex Petrovic off waivers from the Stars? | ||
| Yes | 110 | 71 % |
| No | 45 | 29 % |
| List of polls | ||