The Tampa Bay Lightning placed veteran left winger Conor Sheary on NHL waivers, meaning he could play in the AHL for the first time in eight years.
Reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Sheary hit the waiver wire after playing three of the Lightning’s first six games of the season, including Tuesday’s 8-5 win against the New Jersey Devils. He recorded one hit and a blocked shot but no points while averaging about 11 minutes of ice time. Cameron Atkinson played the other three games, getting an assist and three shots.
Teams have 24 hours to submit a claim for Sheary, who carries a $2-million cap hit in the second season of a three-year contract. Otherwise, the Lightning can assign him to AHL Syracuse.
Conor Sheary (TB) on waivers
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 23, 2024
Last season, Sheary played 57 games with the Lightning, getting four goals and 11 assists for 15 points while averaging about 11 minutes as well. But before that, he had 37 points in 82 games in 2022-23 and 43 points in 71 games in 2021-22, both with the Washington Capitals.
While the 43 points was his second-highest total in a season, the 32-year-old logged career highs back in his sophomore campaign with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016-17. He had 23 goals and 30 assists for 53 points in 61 games that year, playing on Sidney Crosby’s left wing. That was his first year of full-time NHL hockey, having last played in the AHL in 2015-16 with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Sheary’s NHL career so far includes 591 games, 124 goals and 143 assists for 267 points. The undrafted player from Winchester, Mass., has played for the Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, Capitals and Lightning.
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