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Penguins Put Domingue Through Waivers; Will He Clear?

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Pittsburgh Penguins, Louis Domingue

The NHL adjusted the waiver submissions to 2 p.m. EST this season, so the west coast teams had more opportunity to meet or discuss than the previous noon eastern waiver deadline allowed. To no surprise, the Pittsburgh Penguins put third goalie Louis Domingue on waivers Thursday afternoon so the team can send him to the WBS Penguins.

Teams have until tomorrow at 2 p.m. to claim him.

Domingue was a depth signing by Penguins GM Ron Hextall; a third goalie with legitimate NHL experience should either of the Penguins top two goalies, Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith, suffer an injury. That scenario unfolded late last season and into the playoffs when DeSmith suffered a lower-body injury and was unavailable for the Round One series against the New York Islanders.

Maxime Lagace was the Penguins third goalie, but Lagace had only a few games of NHL experience and certainly not enough for the Penguins coaches to insert him into the playoff series, despite Jarry’s struggles.

Domingue, 29, is on a two-way contract which does not exempt him from waivers. Two-way contracts merely differentiate salaries between the NHL and AHL levels.

Last season, Domingue’s career hit bottom as the goalie played only sparingly in the Calgary Flames organization. He played one game in the NHL and three games for the Flames AHL affiliate. Over the last two seasons, Domingue played for seven different teams.

Early in Penguins training camp, Domingue opened up following a question from Pittsburgh Hockey Now. Domingue talked of the mental struggles of getting bounced around the leagues, the uncertainty, and the effect on his confidence. He also credited Penguins goalie coach Andy Chiodo with finding a few things on film that Domingue could improve and for helping to restore his motivation. 

Domingue was brilliant in the Penguins 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night. Domingue stopped 20 of 21 shots, including all 15 shots he faced in the third period.

There are a few goalie-starved teams in the league, including the Buffalo Sabres, whose opening night goalie tandem appears to be thought-to-be retiring Craig Anderson and minor league journeyman Dustin Tokarski.

Ultimately, the Penguins had no choice but to expose Domingue to waivers. Such was the expectation, but one wonders with his renewed attitude and providing competent goaltending in his 2018-19 Tampa Bay stint, when he played 26 games with a .908 save percentage, if a desperate team may take a chance.