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Ross Johnston claimed off waivers by Ducks |
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Forward Ross Johnston was claimed off waivers by the Anaheim Ducks today, ending his tenure with the New York Islanders.
Johnston is 29 years old and played 134 games with the Islanders across eight years with the organization. He has three years remaining on his current contract, which carries a $1.1 million cap hit.
Johnston’s time with the Islanders raised questions at times, often getting priority over others for a roster spot, despite rarely ever drawing into the lineup. He played just 16 games with the team last season, and was passed over in favour of other players when spots opened up due to absences.
While Johnston may have fit the Islanders style of play to an extent, bringing grit and intensity (along with a lot of fights) he was somewhat one-dimensional in that sense. The winger just didn’t have the tools to be able to bring much offensively, and was only somewhat effective in a small role down the lineup. Even with that in mind though, with the likes of Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck taking up fourth line spots on the wings, it’s hard to justify keeping Johnston on the roster.
Now with the winger in Anaheim, the Islanders will have an extra roster spot, with the assumption being that Simon Holmstrom will be called right back up. Holmstrom was sent down yesterday when New York’s roster was finalized, but it seemed like there was a good chance he was going to rejoin the team, even if Johnston cleared waivers and had to be assigned to the AHL.
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