The Arizona Coyotes have placed forward prospect Liam Kirk on unconditional waivers, according to PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan. The move was likely made for the purpose of mutually terminating his entry-level contract.
Arizona selected Kirk, 23, with the 189th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. In the process, Kirk became the first player born and developed in England to be taken in an NHL draft.
However, just over five years later, the two parties have decided to cut ties with one season remaining on Kirk’s entry-level deal. It’s a tough break for the hardworking prospect, who missed most of the 2021-22 season with injury and faced instability throughout the 2022-23 campaign, suiting up in three different leagues across two countries.
Kirk began last season in the minors with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, making his season debut in November after recovering from the knee injury that kept him out for months on end, but was quickly demoted a level further to the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators after just one game in Tucson.
He did well enough there, scoring 11 points in 15 games, but was loaned out of the organization entirely around New Year’s Day to Finnish club Mikkelin Jukurit in the Liiga. He did post one of the highest point-per-game rates on the team, scoring 19 points in 25 games, and he capped off the season with 10 points in five games for Great Britain at the Division 1A World Championships en route to a promotion to the top division next year. Needless to say, the decision to move on from Kirk is a bit puzzling after he managed to perform at a high level internationally despite a roller-coaster ride of the months preceding his loan.
It could be he’s just a victim of unfortunate contract math. The Coyotes are at 48 out of 50 maximum contracts signed, and with Jan Jeník still remaining as an unsigned RFA (although he has reportedly requested a trade), it makes things tight for in-season adds and potential early-season waiver claims.