CarterHud

            The Seattle Mariners have claimed utility player Andrew Romine off waivers from the Detroit Tigers.

             Romine was waived to create a 40 man roster spot for the Rule 5 eligible guys. He made history in September by playing all 9 positions in a single game. He was picked up by Seattle for his ability to play every position but pitcher and catcher. I\’m not surprised that Jerry Dipoto made that move.

            Romine, 31, hit four homers, 25 RBIs and stole six bases, plus a .233 batting average in 348 Plate Appearances this year. In his eight year MLB career for the Tigers and Los Angeles Angels, Romine has a batting average of .238 with 10 homers, 79 RBIs and 39 stolen bases in 1192 Plate Appearances.

            First of all, I know this is late, but I still wanted to make this post, so… I am.

            On Monday, defenseman Mark Streit retired from professional hockey. He last played for the Montreal Canadiens in 2017-18 with two scoreless games. The 39 year-old, who is turning 40 in December became the first NHL team captain from Switzerland in 2011, when the New York Islanders turned him into one.

             In the 2004 NHL draft, Streit was drafted 262nd overall by the Canadiens at the age of 26, something that is now impossible. Streit played his first three years with Montreal, scoring 25 goals and 84 assists for 109 points in 205 games.

             In 2008, Streit signed a five year, $20 million deal with the Islanders. This made him the 2nd highest paid Swiss athlete, behind tennis superstar Roger Federer. Streit brought veteran presence to a lowly Islanders team. In 2011, they named him captain before the 2011-12 season. He remained captain until the end of his deal. His rights were traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for Shane Harper and a 4th round pick. He scored 40 goals and 139 assists for 179 points in 286 games on the Island.

              Streit later signed in Philly on a four year, $21 million deal.He played 3 and 1/2 seasons there, with 30 goals and 110 assists for 140 points in 274 games. He was then traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning for forward Valtteri Filppula, a 4th round pick and a 7th round pick. But, he was instantly flipped to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 4th round pick. Later in the year, Streit won his only Stanley Cup in Pittsburgh. He scored one goal and five assists for six points in 19 games there.

               Streit signed a one year, $700,000 deal to return to the Canadiens, but he was waived, and retired then.

               In total, Streit scored 96 goals and 338 assists for 434 points in 786 games for the Canadiens, Islanders, Flyers and Penguins.

               Boston Bruins center and right wing David Backes will miss about eight weeks with after undergoing colon surgery.

                Backes, 33, returned to the lineup two weeks ago after being sidelined for the start of 2017-18 with an acute case of diverticulitis, an often painful inflammation of the digestive track. Dr. David Finn said that an infection caused surgery to be necessary.

                 The injury will definitely hurt the Bruins, especially with Ryan Spooner and David Krejci banged up to start the year. Also, Backes, a power-forward, brings a unique skill of being able to play center and wing effectively. He also can score, and fight.

                 Backes, 33, has scored one point, an assist, in five games this season. In his NHL career for the Bruins and St. Louis Blues (where he was a captain for some time), Backes has scored 223 goals and 276 assists for exactly 499 points (so he\’ll have a milestone marker to achieve when he returns) in 806 games.

                 As a corresponding move, forward Jordan Szwarz was recalled from Providence (AHL).

                 Szwarz, 26, has played in 35 career NHL games in 2013-14 and 2014-15 for the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes, scoring four points, all goals.

            In the last batch of waived players, Arizona Coyotes goalie Louis Domingue and Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Griffin Reinhart were announced available to every team, or they\’ll go to the AHL.

             For Domingue, he\’s been the second worst goalie in the NHL this year (Antti Niemi is the worst). Also, the Yotes recently acquired Scott Wedgewood from the Devils. Wedgewood is a good backup, and with Antti Raanta returning from injury, Domingue was useless.

             Domingue, 25, has a 4.33 GAA and SV% of .856 in seven games this year. In his career, only in Arizona, Domingue has a GAA of 3.00 and .906 SV%.

            Reinhart is a bust, and has just 37 career games. He\’s most famous for being traded from the New York Islanders to the Edmonton Oilers for the picks that was used on Mat Barzal and the other one was flipped for Anthony Beauvillier. Vegas signed him in the offseason, and with their plethora of defensemen, they don\’t need Reinhart.

             Reinhart, 23, has scored two points, both assists in 37 career games for the Islanders and Oilers.

              The Arizona Coyotes have acquired goalie Scott Wedgewood from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a 2018 5th round pick. The pick was originally the Calgary Flames\’, but was acquired when defenseman Michael Stone re-signed in Calgary.

               The Coyotes have had goaltending problems. Antti Raanta has been injured, leaving goalie Louis Domingue, a back-up at best, starting. Adin Hill (who was sent down as the corresponding move) has been the backup, and struggled. Wedgewood came up in 2015-16, and was good, as the next paragraph reads. Devils beat writer Andrew Gross tweeted \”[Wedgewood] had a strong [training] camp. He has said he\’s \’NHL ready\’\”. If Wedgewood if right, he can be a solid backup/3rd goalie.

               Wedgewood, 25, had a 1.25 GAA and .957 SV% in four career NHL games in 2015-16. He has a 2.35 GAA and SV% of .908 in 110 career AHL appearances.

               The Devils don\’t need Wedgewood. They have Cory Schneider and Keith Kincaid in the NHL. Plus, MacKenzie Blackwood, a 20 year old prospect, is their future goalie, unless they trade him and keep Schneider. A 5th rounder is fair compensation for the 25 year old.That\’s why there isn\’t a who wins paragraph like there normally is.