Detroit Red Wings Waive Defenseman Alexey Marchenko
In order to make room for Brendan Smith, the Detroit Red Wings have waived defenseman Alexey Marchenko.
Today the Detroit Red Wings put defenseman Alexey Marchenko on waivers, according to Ansar Khan. Brendan Smith is returning from injury, so something had to give.
Marchenko had been a healthy scratch the past four games. The last game he appeared in was on January 20 against the Buffalo Sabres. He only played in 30 contests this season, missing time due to an injury as well as healthy scratches.
The Russian defenseman potted two goals and accumulated nine assists over 66 games last season, but accumulated six assists and zero goals over 30 games this season. Like Drew Miller, who was recently waived as well, much of Marchenko’s role involved penalty killing.
With Smitty’s return, there’s no room left on the roster for an additional defenseman. Nick Jensen has played well since being recalled, and Ryan Sproul, although a healthy scratch as of late, possesses better offensive instincts. With the rest of the Wings’ defense clearly not going anywhere, Marchenko was the odd man out.
Marchenko is a big-bodied 25-year-old, so it’s very likely that another team will claim him before tomorrow. If he goes unclaimed, however, he will be sent down to the Grand Rapids Griffins.
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