Senators claim Magnus Pääjärvi off waivers
The Senators will be his third NHL team
The Ottawa Senators have claimed Magnus Paajarvi (or Pääjärvi-Svensson in some circles) off waivers:
The #Sens have claimed forward Magnus Paajarvi on waivers from the St. Louis Blues. / Les #Sens ont réclamé l’attaquant Magnus Paajarvi au ballotage des Blues de St. Louis.
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) January 26, 2018
You may remember him as the Oilers’ 10th-overall pick in 2009. He joined the team to start 2010-11, the same time as Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle, with fans dreaming of a return to playoff relevance with those three leading the way. Little did they know what was in store. He was coming off a couple impressive underage seasons in the SHL and a dominant World Juniors performance (10 points in 6 games). Unfortunately, that never materialized in the NHL. He has yet to best the 34 points of his rookie season, with 97 points in 352 career NHL games and 99 points in 141 AHL games.
In the summer of 2013, he was traded (along with a 2nd-round pick) to the Blues in exchange for David Perron. I think it was fair to call that a lose-lose trade, with neither team getting the offensive dynamo they were hoping for. Pääjärvi bounced around between the Blues and their AHL affiliate for the last three years. He likely would’ve done the same this year if not for the waiver claim.
On the one hand, I think this is a fine pickup. He’s owed the remainder of $800k this year, and is a UFA in the summer. At best, he gets a shot in Ottawa’s wounded top six and shows chemistry. At worst, he’s inexpensive and gone in the summer. He could go down to Belleville, or even get claimed on waivers (don’t forget - 27 teams could’ve claimed him and Ottawa would’ve got him first).
On the other hand, I’m not sure what the point of this move is. He probably has more offensive ability than Gabriel Dumont, but I don’t think Dumont’s going anywhere. Pääjärvi’s going to take a spot from Filip Chlapik, Colin White, or even future callups like Gabriel Gagne. With this season lost, the Sens need to trade the veterans they can and play the young guys for both NHL experience and to try to help the tank. And unless you can get a pick for Pääjärvi in a month, I don’t see how he helps.
