On the day that rosters across the league are being finalized, the Columbus Blue Jackets continue to make some tweaks of their own.
The club claimed veteran forward Zach Aston-Reese off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday afternoon, giving the Blue Jackets additional bottom-six depth.
CLAIMED!
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) October 7, 2024
Weve claimed forward Zach Aston-Reese off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights.
https://t.co/FKsf9lvM2K@RuoffMortgage | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/pPoEodTdwm
“Aston-Reese is a smart and versatile player that can play any of the forward positions,” said President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Don Waddell. “He brings over 300 games of NHL experience to our lineup and will provide additional depth to our group up front.”
That depth up front will further allow Columbus to get talented prospects a large role in Cleveland, as opposed to a more limited role with the Blue Jackets.
Aston-Reese, 30, has spent a majority of his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, scoring 29 goals and chipping in 33 assists in 213 games with the Penguins between 2017 and 2022.
The 6'1", 205lb winger then spent the 2022-23 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, playing 77 games in a mostly fourth-line role. He scored ten goals and added four assists for a total of 14 points while averaging just under 11 minutes per game.
He then signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings during the summer of 2023, but played in just three games with the club and spent the rest of the season with their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. There, he had a stat line of 14g-16a-30p in 61 games.
Aston-Reese then signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Golden Knights in July before being waived over the weekend. He becomes the second native of Staten Island, New York to join the Blue Jackets since Saturday — that was the day the team signed Kevin Labanc to a one-year deal worth $775,000.
