Will Vancouver Canucks claim New York Rangers centre on waivers?
The Vancouver Canucks are seemingly always in the market for a centre.
And, they’ve signalled that they want to get younger as well.
Well, somebody recently hit the waiver wire who checks both of those bosses.
The New York Rangers waived 6-foot-3 centre Jusso Parssinen on Tuesday.
Parssinen was pencilled in by some to be the Rangers’ third-line centre this season, but he’s been surpassed on their depth chart by Noah Laba, who surprisingly made the Rangers out of camp.
It’s been a bit of a wild ride for Parssinen ever since his eye-catching NHL debut back in 2021-22. While playing for the Predators that season, the seventh-round pick in 2019 grabbed attention by posting six goals and 25 points in 45 games for the Rangers. He did so while averaging bottom-six minutes, and he won more than 50 per cent of face-offs that season as well.
He hasn’t been able to find the same success since then, although he has showcased some impressive moments.
Parssinen’s production declined to just eight goals and 12 points in 44 games in 2022-23. Then, last year, he played for three different teams, posting similar numbers (six goals, 16 points in 48 games played).
The Finnish centre was traded from Nashville to the Colorado Avalanche, along with a seventh-round pick, for a below-average prospect and a third-round pick back in December 2024. Barely two months later, he was involved in a bigger trade that saw defenceman Ryan Lindgren end up with the Colorado Avalanche, while Parssinen and others ended up with the Rangers.
Now, he could be on his fourth team in less than a year if someone claims him off waivers.
He may have more upside potential than David KĂ€mpf, and he’s more reliable defensively than Lukas Reichel, but it’s worth noting that his full contract cannot be buried if the Canucks claim him and then decide to waive him once again.
Parssinen is in the first year of a two-year deal paying him $1.25 million per season.