When the waiver bell rang at 1 PM CST, Chris Johnston of TSN broke the news that former Jets draft selection Leon Gawanke (2017, fifth overall) was being placed on waivers by the Sharks in order to have his contract terminated.
Recall that in May 2023, while still an RFA with Winnipeg, Gawanke signed a four-year contract to play in the DEL with Adler Mannheim in Germany. Despite having just had his finest pro season, the prospect was unable to secure a spot in an NHL game. Before he was a UFA and free agent to sign with any team, the Jets would have had the rights to keep him for one more season.
The Jets traded him to the Sharks for 2019 second-round pick Artemi Kniazev, around two months later. Gawanke signed a one-year contract with San Jose just over a week later. In 38 games this season for the Barracuda, he recorded 8G 19A for 27 points. He was headed for a record-breaking amount of assists. They never got him into a game, even with how awful San Jose is.
Although the Jets still own his rights, Kniazev left Winnipeg for the KHL after his season there didn’t pan out.
For those who didn’t follow his exploits with the Moose, the best known Gawanke may be in the NHL was when Jacob Trouba used his stick to score a goal against the Sabres in January 2018 and post-game said “We’re going to have to order more of these Gawanke sticks”.
According to Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group the defenceman will be heading back to Germany to play for Adler Mannheim.
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