Tampa Bay Lightning Shockingly Place Former Penguins Star on Waivers

With a lineup that includes some significant changes, the Tampa Bay Lightning are hoping to make a comeback to the Stanley Cup Finals. The departure of veteran captain Steven Stamkos through free agency this summer was arguably the most significant change. The Lighting, however, are still very confident in their championship outlook and think that their current core can still win big games even without their most important leader on the ice.

In a very unexpected turn of events for the 32-year-old, they have decided to make a significant roster change after gaining some momentum. They have placed two-time Stanley Cup champion forward Conor Sheary on waivers:

Sheary played in three of the Lightning's first six games of the season, including Tuesday's 8-5 victory over the New Jersey Devils, before hitting the waiver wire, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. He averaged roughly 11 minutes of ice time, recording one hit and one blocked shot but no points. The remaining three games were played by Cameron Atkinson, who recorded three shots and an assist.

Given how cap-constrained the majority of NHL clubs are, Sheary is likely to remain with the Lightning organization. A team in need of depth, though, might be prepared to take a chance (a reunion with the Penguins, perhaps?). You shouldn't be shocked if he rejoins the Bolts in 2024-2025, even if no claim is made. Lineups are always changing due to injuries, which means call-ups are required.

Sheary will be sent to the Syracuse Crunch, the Lightning's AHL affiliate, if he clears waivers without any teams filing a claim. This would be his first AHL appearance since he played for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2015-2016. Sheary had a breakthrough season that year when he was called up by the Pittsburgh Penguins, who he helped win the Stanley Cup with.

Sheary has participated in 591 games and scored 267 points since joining the NHL in 2015-16 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Working up from the AHL as a small, undrafted forward, the two-time Stanley Cup champion scored 53 points in 61 games with Pittsburgh in 2016-17. Although he is an uncommon underdog, it appears that he will be returning to the AHL for the first time since January 30, 2016.