Former Caps forward Matt Pettinger has been claimed on re-entry waivers by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Pettinger was sent to Vancouver's AHL affiliate in Manitoba to start the season, and he was claimed by Tampa Bay when Vancouver tried to call him back up. But Ben Kuzma tells Canucks fans not to worry.
Quite frankly, Pettinger never carved out a niche with the club after being acquired in a trade with the Washington Capitals for Matt Cooke on Feb. 26.The Canucks are also overstocked with veterans in the minors and Krog and Michael Grabner are better recall options who don't need to clear waivers.
And as much as Pettinger might have been a fit on the third line, he was easily supplanted by the younger and cheaper Jannik Hansen, who has meshed well with Ryan Kesler and Alex Burrows.
The more than half million dollars the Canucks have to pay of Pettinger's salary is a drop in the pail, keeping them nearly 9 million dollars under the salary cap. So while Caps fans didn't get a chance to see Pettinger back at the Verizon when the Canucks came to town, there is a good chance he'll be back with a bolt on his chest.
