Raffi Torres of the San Jose Sharks was waived Friday morning by the team. Some may think that this is the end of the road for the hard-hitting forward, but that’s speaking too soon.
Torres was on a two-week conditioning assignment with the Sharks’ AHL affiliate, San Jose Barracuda. Two weeks is the maximum amount of time for a conditioning assignment per NHL rules. Torres is trying to battle back from a series of knee surgeries, and that may take more time in the AHL. Two weeks isn’t exactly enough time to bounce back from that. For the Sharks to keep Torres with the Barracuda, he needed to be waived since he is not on a two-way contract.
Why Torres Won't Be Claimed By Another Team
Torres is unlikely to get claimed by another team on waivers because of his contract status. He carries a $2 million cap hit and would need to be waived before going to the AHL again. So unless a team wants to keep him on their NHL roster with that cap hit and risk being stuck with the cap hit because he can’t play, then he won’t get claimed. It’s a good move by the Sharks to waive him because either way it goes, they get a good deal. If Torres stays with the Barracuda for the next couple weeks and makes it back to the NHL level, then they have Torres being his effective self again. If another team claims him, then the Sharks remove $2 million from their payroll and can add another player at the trade deadline.
Torres’ return to the Sharks all comes down to if he can fully recover from his knee surgeries and get back in NHL shape. He hasn’t been very effective with the Barracuda since his conditioning assignment began, but it’s not a quick recovery. If he can recover, he will be more than welcomed by the Sharks and their new coaching staff. Head Coach, Peter DeBoer, said that when Torres is healthy, he will be of great use to the Sharks because of his hardnosed playing style.
Why Torres Was Suspended
Torres had to sit out the first 41 games of the season due to a suspension on a hit against Anaheim Ducks' forward, Jakob Silfverberg in a preseason game. Torres had surgery on his knee as recently as December 2015 as well. It remains to be seen if he comes back, but don’t count him out just yet.