On Monday morning, it was announced that the Anaheim Ducks have claimed forward Niklas Hagman off of re-entry waivers from the Calgary Flames, who were looking to move him and a portion, if not all, of his cap hit and salary from the books. With the claim on re-entry waivers, the Flames are on the hook for half of the remaining portion of his salary and cap hit, which is $3 million annually. Hagman's stay with the Flames has been uncomfortable, at best, since coming over from the Maple Leafs in the deal that sent Dion Phaneuf to Toronto. In 106 games with the Flames, Hagman only posted 17 goals and 25 assists, which wasn't quite the production the team was looking for and his two-way game was not a great fit with the club, having an even plus/minus rating during his stay.
Now, Hagman wasn't drafted this year, nor was he included on the sheet for the Flames, but this move to the Ducks may spark something in the game. If I had to offer a guess, I would imagine that Hagman might line-up with fellow countryman Saku Koivu, which could make for an interesting line combination, which might get even more interesting when Jason Blake returns from injury. If the chemistry works out between players, Koivu might get a little bit better and Hagman might be an attractive property in a couple weeks, when the waiver draft goes down. Definitely something to watch out for.
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