Canucks put Aatu Räty on waivers after trade attempt fails

The news broke midday Wednesday, and the Canucks beat had it first.

Thomas Drance

@ThomasDrance

Sounds like Aatu Räty has been placed on waivers Wednesday. #Canucks

This wasn't a surprise call-up shuffle. GM Ryan Johnson tried to trade Räty first, according to Postmedia's Patrick Johnston, and nobody bit. So it's waivers, and if he clears he goes to the AHL with Abbotsford. Johnson called it a hard decision and said that if Räty was only going to play sparingly in Vancouver, he owed him a new opportunity. Translation: we tried to move you, couldn't, and this is the next best thing we can do for you.

The numbers explain why. Räty has played just 4 of Vancouver's 8 games, and his only goal was an empty-netter in a 4-1 win over Calgary. At 5-on-5 the Canucks have been outscored 4-1 with him on the ice, and they've given up 2 goals in his limited penalty-kill time. Head coach Manny Malhotra has reportedly raised concerns about his lack of foot speed, which is the one knock that has followed him for years.

He wasn't the only name on the wire Wednesday. San Jose waived Alex Barre-Boulet the same day, and Dallas forward Harrison Scott cleared from Tuesday's list.

PuckPedia

@PuckPedia

Waivers today: Alex Barre-Boulet #SJSharks Aatu Räty #Canucks Scott cleared from yesterday t.co/0UZj58xfhC

Barre-Boulet just came off injured reserve, and the Sharks waived him with the plan of sending him to the Barracuda. Scott cleared and is expected to report to the Texas Stars. Those are routine depth moves. Räty is the one people will actually argue about, because he's 23 and there's one thing he does really well.

That thing is faceoffs. Räty is winning 56.8% of his draws this season and 59.1% for his career. A center who can win draws at that rate, makes basically nothing, and is still young enough to grow is exactly the kind of guy a team claims on a whim. If you're a club that loses a lot of draws, it's a free lottery ticket.

Thomas Drance

@ThomasDrance

Vancouver #Canucks place Aatu Räty on waivers: Why he hasn’t broken through. Unlocked for all to read via @TheAthleticNHL: t.co/IKpyMfL6YF

For Vancouver, waiving him also opens the roster spot for injured center Filip Chytil to come back from his shoulder injury. The claim deadline is 11 a.m. Pacific on Thursday, October 15. If somebody grabs him, Räty gets the fresh start Johnson talked about. If nobody does, he's in Abbotsford trying to prove the skating concern wrong, and the Canucks keep a faceoff guy in the system without paying for a roster spot.