Update (8:37 PM): Just got an email back from mLive’s Ansar Khan. He says it is true and that, more than anything else, it’s to allow the team the room to bring up Jimmy Howard if Dominik Hasek gets hurt again. Hadn’t thought of it that way, but it makes more sense than what I said below doesn’t rule out the scenario I outlined below in the 8:06 update. He suggests the Wings may waive him every month, as long as everyone is healthy, as insurance in case of an injury.
Also, according to him, it’s by noon tomorrow, not noon Saturday, that another team has to claim him. So, evidently I was wrong about that. It’s been a long day… - Matt
Update (8:06 PM): Also, I should explain what I mean by “breathing room” a little better. If, heaven forbid, over the next 30 days or 10 games, one of the team’s top players gets hurt, they’ll probably want to call someone up from Grand Rapids who could fill in better than the four guys on rotation (Downey, Matt Ellis, Dallas Drake, and Tomas Kopecky). Waiving Downey now allows them to do that right away without having to wait two days to clear a spot. - Matt
Update (8:00 PM): I should mention that, if Downey has in fact been waived (still haven’t seen confirmation), he’s available to other teams until noon on Saturday. - Matt
According to Habs Inside/Out, Aaron Downey has been placed on waivers (via Kukla’s). I haven’t been able to find confirmation on that, but if it’s true, it’s not the first time this season. You may remember he was waived back in October in order to allow the Wings room to make roster moves quickly, though they obviously kept him around when he wasn’t claimed. His waived status was good for 30 days or 10 games, which would explain why they’d waive him now, a month later, to give them some breathing room with a 23-man roster.
If the RDS report is true, let’s hope he doesn’t get claimed. If you’re not a believer in Downey, check this out: