The Florida Panthers reduced their training camp roster by 18 on Sunday and a few veteran players were caught in the flurry. Forward Joey Crabb, defenseman Greg Zanon, and goaltender Dan Ellis have all been placed on waivers, per the Sun Sentinel.
Among the cuts, Ellis is arguably the least surprising. The Panthers received Ellis in the Tim Thomas trade, but he posted a 4.81 GAA and .836 save percentage in Florida. That prompted the Panthers to sign Al Montoya to a two-year, $2.1 million contract over the summer and push Ellis out of the picture. Ellis has 204 NHL games under his belt, but teams are likely to pass on the 34-year-old rather than take on his $1 million salary and $900,000 cap hit for the 2014-15 campaign.
Zanon has played in 493 games, but the 34-year-old’s time in the NHL might over. He spent the 2013-14 campaign in the minors and appears to be in for a similar fate this season.
Crabb is the youngest of the trio at 31 and has the least NHL experience with 179 contests under his belt. He played primarily with the AHL San Antonio Rampage in 2013-14, but also logged nine games with the Florida Panthers. Like Ellis, Crabb is signed to a one-way contract and is consequently owed $600,000 for 2014-15 regardless of where he plays.
