Jets put Sami Niku on unconditional waivers
Ken Wiebe: The Winnipeg Jets have put defenseman Sami Niku on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract.
Chris Johnston: Niku isn’t looking at heading over to Europe but is looking for a fresh start with an NHL team.
Scott Billeck: Terminating Niku’s contract doesn’t have anything to do with defenseman Ville Heinola.
Murat Ates: “Sami Niku is on his way out. The Jets tried to recoup assets for him by trade but could not. What a stunning turn in player value from 2017-18 to now. Whatever “blame” belongs to player and club, Winnipeg should look long and hard to make sure it handled him the best they could.”
Larry Brooks: “The (now) 24-year-old Finnish defenseman was deemed untouchable by Winnipeg leading up to the trade deadline of ’19 when Rangers were talking to Jets about Kevin Hayes.”
Jonathan Drouin explains why he left part way through last season
TSN: Montreal Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin on why he left that April 23rd game and didn’t play for the remainder of the season.
“You know I’ve had anxiety problems for many years, insomnia problems that relate to my anxiety. That week in Calgary where we played 3 games, I missed all 3 of them, wasn’t feeling good. That was where you know hit a wall for me and it was time to stepped away from the game and literally take a step back from everything and kind of enjoy life and I needed it. It was hard for me to do at that time and obviously, playoffs were coming around. So, wasn’t an easy thing to do and I’m proud of what I’ve done and happy I did it. I’m 26 years old so I wanted to do it at that point in my career and feel good for the next years.”
Travis Zajac retires as a Devil
Andrew Gross: The New Jersey Devils signed Travis Zajac to a one-day contract and then he announced his retirement.
Zajac will remain with the team in player development and consulting. He’ll also work on growing their youth hockey initiatives.
Amanda Stein: Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald had contacted Zajac this offseason to see if he was interested in playing for the Devils this season but Zajac felt it was the time to hang up the skates.
From draft day with his dad to becoming one himself. And all the moments in between that were Made in Jersey.
Our heartbeat.
Our Black & Red standard.
Our Devil for life. pic.twitter.com/RrLHhrWyHh— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) September 20, 2021
All the best in your retirement, Travis Zajac.
The longtime @NJDevils forward collected 550 points in 1,024 career games with the team. He is one of only four players with at least 500 points with the franchise. #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/ZmHcstbzun
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) September 20, 2021
Travis Zajac, retiring from hockey, was a top-line defensive matchup centre in his prime, and remained reliable through his thirties as well. Happy retirement. #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/aaBgHir5ZF
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) September 20, 2021
