SAN JOSE — Forward Walker Duehr cleared waivers on Tuesday and will be assigned to the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL.
Duehr, 27, was placed on waivers by the Sharks on Monday and NHL teams had until Tuesday at 11 a.m. (PST) to claim the 6-foot-3, 205-pound winger.
The Sharks claimed Duehr on Jan. 22, one day after he was placed on waivers by the Calgary Flames. In eight games with the Sharks, Duehr had two goals and averaged 8:49 in ice time.
Duehr, now in his fifth professional season, should be an asset to a Barracuda team looking to solidify its spot in the AHL playoffs.
With 19 games left this season, San Jose, which has won just four of its past 10 games, entered this week in fifth place in the Pacific Division with 61 points, eight points ahead of eighth place Bakersfield. The top seven teams in the division advance to the Calder Cup playoffs.
Duehr has 69 points in 127 career AHL games. Before the Calgary Flames waived him on Jan. 21, Duehr had 19 points in 20 games for their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers.
It’s unclear whether Duehr will play Wednesday when the Barracuda hosts the San Diego Gulls. The Sharks were in Toronto on Monday night and are now in Buffalo as they get ready to play the Sabres on Tuesday.
The move clears a roster spot for the Sharks, one they could potentially use to activate forward Nikolai Kovalenko off injured reserve. Kovalenko (upper body) has not played since Jan. 30 but joined the Sharks on the road last Wednesday when the team was in Montreal.
