Pittsburgh Penguins Division Rival Places Veteran Forward on Waivers

The Washington Capitals have placed Sheldon Rempal on unconditional waivers, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. The move was presumably in order to have a mutual buyout of the contract.

Rempal, who had signed with the organization on a two-way deal during free agency, had been in AHL Hershey after being put through waivers last week.

This 30-year-old winger returned to North America after enjoying a standout stint with Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the KHL, where he had scored 31 goals, along with 61 points, in 68 games.

In four games with Hershey, he managed to get his name on the board for only a goal, an assist, and a minus-two rating.

With that much experience in Washington, combined with an injection of youth, Rempal's chance of being brought back was far-fetched at best.

He was earning $450,000 in the AHL and probably has a better contract waiting for him somewhere overseas. If not signed within 24 hours, he'll be an unrestricted free agent.

In 21 NHL games with the Kings, Hurricanes, Canucks, and Golden Knights, Rempal has two goals and one helper. Although he possesses goal-scoring ability with 254 points in 332 games for the AHL, physical presence issues may limit him at this level.

Though this transaction will keep the Capitals from having a veteran role player, it will now open the door for rookies in the forward unit to get more involved.