The Washington Capitals lost Axel Jonsson-Fjällby to the Buffalo Sabres last week after GM Brian MacLellan tried to sneak the 23-year-old Swedish forward through waivers.
Now they may have an opportunity to bring him back. Sunday, the Buffalo Sabres put AJF back on waivers after determining organizationally he needs more seasoning in the AHL too.
Jonsson-Fjällby was one of 43 players placed on waivers Sunday, including two other former Capitals, Riley Barber (DET) and Madison Bowey (VAN). Garrett Pilon and Zach Fucale were also exposed by the Capitals.
Here’s the full list of players available per Chris Johnston.
Placed on NHL waivers today: Sam Carrick (ANA), Jacob Larsson (ANA), Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (BUF), Eric Gelinas (CAR), Maxime Lajoie (CAR), Josh Leivo (CAR), Stefan Noesen (CAR), C.J. Smith (CAR), Gabriel Carlsson (CBJ), Mikko Lehtonen (CBJ), Kevin Stenlund (CBJ) …
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) October 10, 2021
Collin Delia (CHI), Malcolm Subban (CHI), Jacob MacDonald (COL), Alex Petrovic (DAL), Riley Barber (DET), Taro Hirose (DET), William Lagesson (EDM), Kyle Turris (EDM), Lucas Carlsson (FLA), Christopher Gibson (FLA), Austin Strand (LA), Austin Wagner (LA) …
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) October 10, 2021
Frederik Gauthier (NJ), Connor Ingram (NSH), Michael McCarron (NSH), Andrew Aggozino (OTT), Nick Seeler (PHI), Alex Barre-Boulet (TB), Frederik Claesson (TB), Andrej Sustr (TB), Adam Brooks (TOR), Justin Bailey (VAN), Madison Bowey (VAN), Phillip Di Giuseppe (VAN) …
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) October 10, 2021
Travis Hamonic (VAN), Sven Baertschi (VGK), Patrick Brown (VGK), Gage Quinney (VGK), Nelson Nogier (WPG), Dominic Toninato (WPG), Zachary Fucale (WSH) and Garrett Pilon (WSH).
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) October 10, 2021
If the Capitals try to bring back their former player via waivers, it would not be without precedent.
During the Capitals’ Stanley Cup-winning 2017-18 season, Washington lost popular Austrailian forward Nathan Walker to the Edmonton Oilers during a December 1 waiver claim. Three weeks later, the Oilers tried to send Walker down to the minors, but the Capitals re-claimed him back.
According to the Edmonton Sun, the Capitals got first crack at re-claiming their former player on the waiver wire list.
Walker rejoined the team, and once an NHL roster freeze ended, the Capitals did not have to send Walker through waivers again and optioned him straight to Hershey because no other NHL team put in a waiver claim for Walker the second time around.
It’s unclear how much flexibility the Capitals have with 24 players currently on their Training Camp roster, but we’ll learn Monday at 2 PM if AJF is coming back to the organization that drafted him, headed somewhere else, or going to Buffalo’s AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, for the season.
Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong/RMNB
