Senators Claim Marek Svatos Off Waivers from Predators

The Ottawa Senators announced today that they have claimed right wing Marek Svatos off waivers from the Nashville Predators. The move was announced just after the Senators traded Alex Kovalev to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a conditional seventh round pick in the 2011 Entry Draft. Svatos will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. He originally signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Blues on December 28, but was claimed off waivers by the Predators just a day later. In nine games with Nashville, he has one goal and two assists. He missed 13 games recently with a knee injury. This is really just a depth move for Ottawa, as they are in need of a little veteran depth on offense after trading Mike Fisher, Chris Kelly, Jarkko Ruutu, and Alex Kovalev in separate deals over the past two weeks. Svatos will bring plenty of offensive depth to the team down the wing for the remainder of the season.

Predators Claim Marek Svatos Off Waivers from Blues

The Nashville Predators announced today that they have claimed right wing Marek Svatos off waivers from the St. Louis Blues just one day after he had signed a one-year contract with the Blues. He had to clear waivers before he would have been eligible to play a game with St. Louis. Svatos had been playing with Avangard Omsk of the KHL, but was released from the team last week after scoring three goals and five assists in 19 games. In 54 games last season with the Colorado Avalanche, he had seven goals and four assists for 11 points. In 316 career NHL games, all with the Avalanche, he has 96 goals and 68 assists for 164 points. Not a bad pick-up for the Predators, as Svatos will provide some much needed offensive depth with forwards Matthew Lombardi, Steve Sullivan, Martin Erat, and David Legwand all sidelined with injuries. He will bring plenty of goal-scoring talent, as well as some passing and puck-handling skill to the team. As for the Blues, it's unfortunate that Svatos did not clear waivers, as they are currently short-handed on the wing with T.J. Oshie and David Perron both injured. They could still look at some remaining free agents from last summer or check the waiver wire for a short-term replacement, but if there's no one to suit their needs, they may have to call up a player from the minors.

Blues Sign Free Agent Forward Marek Svatos

The St. Louis Blues announced today that they have signed right wing Marek Svatos to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will pay him $800,000 at the NHL level and $105,000 at the AHL level. He had been playing with Avangard Omsk of the KHL, and had three goals and five assists in 19 games before he was released by the club last week. In 54 games last season with the Colorado Avalanche, he had seven goals and four assists for 11 points. In 316 career NHL games, all with Colorado, he has 96 goals and 68 assists for 164 points. Not a bad signing for the Blues, as Svatos will provide plenty of much-needed offensive depth on the wing with T.J. Oshie and David Perron currently sidelined with injuries. Svatos has plenty of goal-scoring talent, decent passing skills, and is a good puck-handler. He should be a decent addition to the Blues' roster, as well as a very affordable one too.