Detroit Red Wings waive Kirk Maltby
The Detroit Red Wings announced that they have placed 16-year NHL veteran Kirk Maltby on waivers. Maltby passed through waivers on Wednesday and will most likely be assigned to the Red
Wings minor league affiliate, the Grand Rapid Griffins.
Maltby had signed a two-way contract with the Red Wings on September 8. The one-year deal would pay Maltby $525,000 for making the Red Wings or $105,000 if his time was spent in the American
Hockey League with the Griffins.
Upon signing the two way deal, Maltby stated, “I’d be one of the older guys down there, but it’s not like I’d be the first to do it. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about it, what
it would be like down there. But at the same time, it’s something I’ll deal with if that comes to surface.”
Maltby, who was on four Stanley Cup winning Red Wings teams, will be able to return to the team without passing through waivers if a roster spot opens.
Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock had this to say about Maltby’s situation, with “Malt’s is a good player, that’s well documented. We’re just at the point that we got a bunch of young
guys here. So we got to make decisions. Every time you keep a guy who’s near the end, there’s a guy who’s at the beginning who’s going to play on someone else’s team, and those are real hard decisions.”
The 37-year-old Maltby seemed to take everything in stride, saying, “I’m prepared for whatever happens, whether it’s what I want or not.” He added, “I’m not worried about it, because
its something I can’t control.”
The Red Wings obtained Maltby in March 1996 via a trade with the Edmonton Oilers. Maltby was exchanged for Dan McGillis in the trade. Maltby has played in 1072 NHL games, scoring 128 goals
and adding 132 assists.
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