Devils Claim Dell Off Waivers, Spezza Clears

Hockey insiders and analysts were keeping a close eye on the NHL waiver wire this morning as some big names were on the list and where they landed could affect a number of teams moving forward. The Toronto Maple Leafs had placed goaltender Aaron Dell and center Jason Spezza on waivers and it would have been a shock to see Dell make it through the process without a claim.

Related: Maple Leafs Place Spezza and Dell on Waivers, Spezza Threatens to Retire

Full waivers report:
Devils claim Aaron Dell
Jason Spezza, Brett Ritchie, Alex Biega and Joel Kellman all clear from yesterday.
Flames put Michael Stone on waivers today.

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) January 18, 2021

As expected, Dell didn’t make it through as the New Jersey Devils claimed the backstop on Monday, essentially landing their backup for Mackenzie Blackwood. Currently, the Devils have Scott Wedgewood backing up Blackwood after Corey Crawford unexpectedly retired. In an effort to fill holes in net, the organization had claimed Eric Comrie off of waivers earlier this week and it will be interesting to see if the Devils put Comrie back on waivers now that they’ve landed Dell. They now have four goalies and the expectation is that something will give.

Spezza Clears Waivers

Interestingly, center Jason Spezza cleared waivers on Monday. There were probably a few teams that would have been interested in the veteran NHLer, but his agent stated on Sunday that if another team had claimed him, Spezza would have retired. He only wanted to finish his career with the Maple Leafs.

The fear of retirement likely scared a couple of teams away from Spezza and for now, he remains with Toronto.

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