NHL Trade Rumors 2016: Los Angeles Kings Give Defenseman Christian Ehrhoff A Miss
The Los Angeles Kings placed veteran defenseman Christian Ehrhoff on waivers last Wednesday, officially ending his stint with the team that no longer has the will to absorb his full salary for the season and beyond.
The one-time top defenseman in the league was cleared the day after the report came out and has been assigned to the Ontario Reign in the AHL.
Already in his 12th season in the league, Ehrhoff saw himself playing for the third team in as many seasons after inking a one-year deal with the Kings last offseason. He appeared in 40 games this season for LA, but only managed two goals and nine assists in 15 minutes of playing time. Before his stint in Los Angeles this season, he played for the Pittsburgh Penguins last year. Prior to that, he played for the Buffalo Sabres, where he spent only three years of the original 10-year contract he signed that would have paid him $40 million; the Sabres bought his contract out, prompting him to find another team.
The German hockey defenceman was selected 106th overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the San Jose Sharks, but he only joined the team in the 2005-2006 season. He ended up playing for the Sharks for six full seasons because he got traded to Vancouver in 2009, where he played his best hockey, winning back-to-back Babe Pratt awards while helping the team reach the Stanley Cup Finals back in 2011.
But the 33-year-old hasn't been the same player after suffering concussion problems last season with the Penguins. The 11 points he produced this season in 40 games is a huge dip in his usual production before the concussion problems. He now has to figure out how to bounce back and hope that another team gives him a chance to prove that he still has it.
