Two more players have hit waivers today, as Dysin Mayo of the Arizona Coyotes and Karson Kuhlman of the Seattle Kraken are available for claim, according to Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets.
Mayo, 26, was one of the best stories from last season. After grinding for five seasons in the minor leagues, the fifth-round pick finally made it to the NHL and played in 67 games for the Coyotes, racking up 12 points and averaging nearly 21 minutes a night. While the results weren’t great, he was given absolutely brutal deployment against the other team’s best nearly every night and managed to put together a respectable rookie season.
This year, with other options in place, Mayo has slipped down the depth chart and out of the lineup entirely. For a five-game stretch in November, he failed to reach even nine minutes of ice time. Now, he is likely headed to the minor leagues given a waiver claim would be surprising. Not necessarily because of his skill, but because of the three-year extension that the Coyotes gave him in February, hoping to lock up a breakout player. Mayo will carry a cap hit of $950K through the 2024-25 season.
Kuhlman, meanwhile, is being pushed off the roster by the incoming Eeli Tolvanen, who the Kraken claimed today. The 27-year-old forward has three points in 14 games so far this season and has played very sparingly of late. In his last appearance, Kuhlman was given just six shifts. On a one-way deal worth $825K, he too seems an unlikely candidate to be claimed off waivers.