Nashville Predators Place Player on Waivers, per Elliotte Friedman
The Nashville Predators decided to make a roster move on Tuesday by placing center Vinnie Hinostroza on waivers according to Elliotte Friedman.
It has been a wild Tuesday afternoon in the NHL and Elliotte Friedman keeps on adding to it, as the NHL hockey insider revealed that the Nashville Predators are cutting ties with veteran center Vinnie Hinostroza and are placing him on waivers.
It spells the end of the veteran's time with the Predators where he only played in 13 games and registered two points.
The 10-year NHLer has seen his playing time drop significantly over the past few seasons, and it's unknown if a team has any spot for him at this time.
The man affectionately known as 'Cousin Vinnie' was drafted in the sixth round by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2012 and managed to carve out a role as a gritty defensively sound center who can score at times, but is better suited for playing defense and disrupting opponents.
He was then traded to the Arizona Coyotes where he exploded for a 16-goal, 39-point season in 2018-19, but has since bounced around to Florida, back to Chicago, then Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and finally Nashville.
Hinostroza was a standout for Notre Dame in his two seasons there. He was a point-per-game player there with 76 points in 76 games, and was named to the All-Rookie team as well as a First-Team All-Star.
For his career, Hinostroza has 54 goals and 99 assists in 387 games while averaging 13:14 TOI. He signed with the Predators this season to a two-year, one-way deal worth $1.5M
Hinostroza could offer some insurance depth to a team looking for an extra body for the playoffs, or to be a veteran presence to Nashville's youngsters down in Milwaukee if he clears waivers.
It's unknown if teams will have a spot for the pivot, but if they wish to make a claim, they have 24 hours to do so.
