The Philadelphia Flyers officially placed defenseman Egor Zamula on waivers earlier Thursday.
With the return of Rasmus Ristolainen, coupled with the fact that Zamula had been a healthy scratch for a long period of time, there was really only one move they could have made and that was placing the defenseman on waivers.
Now subjected to the whims of the waiver wire, Zamula can be claimed by any of the remaining 31 teams. The 25-year-old does have a lot to offer other teams, but his time with the Flyers looked to be over after another sluggish start to the season.
If he clears waivers, the Flyers will be allowed to send him to Lehigh Valley, where he will presumably spend the rest of the season, unless there’s a trade brewing or another injury comes about.
Noah Juulsen will remain the 7th defenseman on the NHL roster and the Flyers received a nice cameo from Ty Murchison, which might have made their decision a little bit easier. Adam Ginning is also still around in the organization after he was placed on waivers earlier this year for the same purpose.
Zamula registered one assist in 13 games this season to go with a +4 rating, 4 PIM, 9 shots on goal, 15 blocked shots, and 2 hits in 14:02 TOI. He had suited up just twice since the calendar flipped to December and hasn’t recorded a point since October 20th.
The undrafted defenseman was entering his 6th season with the Flyers, where he’s suited up in 168 games with 8 goals and 41 points in 15:53 ATOI. He had a few bursts as a bottom-6 defenseman, but has generally struggled over the last few seasons.
The Chelyabinsk, Russia native is playing in the final year of his 2-year contract and will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
