This time of year, the waiver wire is generally very calm, but as usual, a few players are placed on unconditional waivers, allowing their contracts to be terminated in order to pursue other opportunities in North America or Europe. On Saturday afternoon, it was the situation.
James Mirtle of The Athletic revealed on social media that Ilya Usau, a forward prospect for the Tampa Bay Lightning, has been placed on unconditional waivers in order to end his contract in its final year.
Mirtle further mentioned that Usau is anticipated to rejoin the KHL, where he played for his native Belarusian team, Dynamo Minsk, in 2020–21 and 2021–22.
Usau, 22, made 42 appearances for the Syracuse Crunch, the Lightning's American Hockey League affiliate, this season. The Minsk native finished with 14 points (seven goals, seven assists), 14 penalty minutes, and a plus-12 rating in his 42 games.
If Usau returns to North America in the future, that will be intriguing to watch. Since he's still young, another team might be interested in hiring him if he returns home to play in the KHL and establishes his ability to play in the NHL.
