The Washington Capitals placed forward Nathan Walker on waivers, in hopes to assign him to Hershey.
Walker, 23, was the first Australian-born player to appear in the NHL, making his debut Oct. 7 against the Montreal Canadiens. But the forward failed to get significant ice time going forward, appearing in just six other games.
In November, Walker played just three games.
The move was made Thursday in order to get Walker more playing time.
“We looked at it with people getting healthy and that Nate wasn’t getting in the lineup,” Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. “They’re not doing him any favors. You can only build your game on the ice, so he’s going to see if he clears waivers. He’s gotta play. He’s a good young man, but he’s still got to build his game.”
The Capitals hope Walker clears waivers, but teams have 24 hours to place a claim. If he clears, Walker will join the Hershey Bears, the Capitals’ American Hockey League affiliate.
Walker has scored one goal this season.
The Capitals also loaned defenseman Aaron Ness to Hershey and activated Christian Djoos (upper body) off injured reserve.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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