Penguins Division Rival Surprisingly Waives Promising Young Defenceman

The Washington Capitals have surprisingly waived young defenseman Vincent Iorio today.

Iorio is an effective and intelligent two-way defender who should continue to see his stock rise once he settles in, finds his groove, and really gets going.

His patience and poise make him a very good prospect in the modern game, which is why it was surprising to see the Capitals give up on him so soon.

In the AHL with the Hershey Bears, Iorio averages about 0.3 points per game and 1.3 shots per game. He was not counted on for scoring as much as he has been in the past, but he still played in a top-four role.

The Bears were not as good defensively as they have been in previous years, but going from plus 26 the season prior to minus four last season is not an indication that Iorio has just forgotten to play defense.

He did not get into any NHL games as the Capitals had eight defensemen on the roster a majority of the time, and there were not enough injuries to get him called up, which is likely why he was waived this time around.

With this season being the final year on his ELC, Iorio will likely be up and down all season, depending on whether he gets claimed by, say, Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He may get lost for free if another team swoops in, kind of like what we saw the Panthers do today, as they claimed Donovan Sebrango from the Ottawa Senators.

Either way, he is likely going to one day be a solid two-way bottom-four NHL defenseman, and we will know in less than 24 hours what his future holds.