Waivers update: Casey DeSmith clears, remains with Penguins organization

Shortly after noon the NHL announces waiver activity if anyone was claimed. There was of course significant interest in Pittsburgh with today’s news to see if goaltender Casey DeSmith would be claimed by another team or not.

So, the first leg of Jim Rutherford’s great goalie gamble ends up paying off. The Penguins will keep Casey DeSmith (for the time being, at least) as he has been passed over by all teams.

Goaltenders on waivers always present interesting situations and scenarios for NHL teams. First, they need the goalie they claim to be clearly better than their backup option, since teams really can only functionally keep two healthy goaltenders for long periods of time. Most teams tend…