Toronto Maple Leafs superstar center Auston Matthews took the ice for the club's optional morning skate on Saturday. But when will he return to game action? The St. Louis Blues [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/] have placed former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Kasperi Kapanen on waivers, as reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman [https://x.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1858586623673237555]. The 28-year-old signed a one-year, $1,000,000 million contract on July 1 with the Blues and is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Kapenen has struggled offensively this season with only one goal in 10 games, following a previous season where he recorded six goals, 16 assists, and 22 points in 73 regular season games. It seems that a combination of injuries and a lack of productivity led to the waiver placement. The forward returned to action on Saturday against the Washington Capitals [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals/], after missing four consecutive games with an upper-body injury. His limitations of just 10 appearances this season have also been due to five healthy scratches. If he clears, Kapanen is set to see regular playing time in the AHL with the Springfield Thunderbirds. The former Maple Leaf recorded 45 goals, 52 assists, and 97 points in parts of five seasons with the club. In 10 seasons in the NHL, Kapanen has 90 goals, 132 assists, and 222 points between the regular season and postseason combined. JACK CAMPBELL CLEARS WAIVERS The 24-hour window for former Maple Leafs and current Detroit Red Wings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings/] goaltender has come and gone, meaning he has cleared, as reported by Friedman on Monday [https://x.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1858586562117702127]. Campbell signed a one-year, $775,000 contract with the Red Wings this past summer after the Edmonton Oilers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers/] bought out the remainder of his five-year, $25 million deal signed in 2022. The 32-year-old entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program on October 4 and has not seen any action this season. After clearing waivers, it signals that the netminder may be approaching a return in some capacity. The Michigan native is likely to soon suit up for the Grand Rapids Griffins in the AHL. With the Leafs, Campbell was 51-14-9 in 77 games with a 2.50 goals against average and a .916 save percentage over his brief three-season stint in Toronto. In 176 career NHL games, Campbell has a record of 93-52-18 with a 2.76 goals against average and a .909 save percentage.
