Two more players hit NHL waivers as Canucks claim defenseman
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Vancouver claims defenseman Cameron Crotty from the Minnesota Wild, Tyler Pitlick clears, and Jan Jenik and Akil Thomas land on the NHL waiver wire.
The Vancouver Canucks have claimed defenseman Cameron Crotty off waivers from the Minnesota Wild, the second time in less than two weeks that the 27-year-old has been picked up.
The Wild placed him on waivers Monday alongside forward Tyler Pitlick as they prepared to get healthier up front, with the plan of sending both to AHL Iowa.
Crotty is a 6-foot-3, right-shot blueliner and an Ottawa native who signed a two-year, two-way deal with his hometown Senators in 2025.
Minnesota claimed him from Ottawa on October 29, but he never dressed for the Wild and served as the extra defenseman while injuries hit their back end.
Crotty's Road to Vancouver
His NHL résumé is short. Crotty has 11 career games, three of them with Ottawa this season, where he averaged just over 11 minutes a night.
His $812,500 cap hit runs through 2026-27, so the commitment is modest, and the claim adds right-shot depth without tying up significant money.
It also ends Minnesota's plan to assign him to Iowa.
Elliotte Friedman reported that Vancouver put in the claim.
Pitlick Clears, Jenik and Thomas Next
Pitlick, 35, went through unclaimed, so he is on track to join an Iowa team sitting 6-6-2-1 and third in the Central Division.
He appeared in 12 NHL games for the Wild this season without recording a point, averaging 7:39 of ice time.
Two more players are now on the same clock, as Los Angeles Kings forward Jan Jenik and Vancouver Canucks forward Akil Thomas have both been placed on waivers.
Jenik, 26, was acquired by Los Angeles in a March 2026 trade and carries an $850,000 cap hit.
Thomas, also 26, signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $900,000 with Vancouver on July 1 after earlier stops in the Kings and Blues organizations.
Both are waiver eligible, and if neither is claimed, the usual next step is an assignment to the AHL.
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