Sean Day Placed on Unconditional Waivers for Contract Termination
Sean Day’s time in the New York Rangers’ organization is coming to an end with the news that he’s been placed on unconditional waivers.
New York #Rangers have placed defenseman Sean Day on 'Unconditional Waivers' for the purpose of contract termination.
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) May 30, 2020
Day had 1 year remaining on his Entry Level contract with NY.https://t.co/uDvNTP3Woz https://t.co/TYXOuTjD2Y
The 22-year-old defender was selected 81st overall in the third round of the 2016 NHL draft, the Rangers’ first pick in that draft.
Day is famous for being granted exceptional status in the OHL back in 2013, the fourth player at the time ever to receive that status, but he never lived up to the hype. He spent 62 games in the AHL with the Wolf Pack, and 55 games with the Maine Mariners of the ECHL.
With Day’s career not developing as expected and the Rangers having a considerable amount of depth when it comes to defense prospects, this move isn’t all that shocking.
Adam’s Take:
Day was one of Hartford’s better players towards the end of the 2018-2019 season, ending the campaign with 13 points in 23 games. However, he struggled to build off that success this season. Day registered just three points through 16 games and had his share of defensive lapses before his December demotion to the ECHL.
Without knowing the specifics of why this decision was reached, Day was slated to be on the outside looking in for an AHL depth chart which will likely feature a few other left-handed defense prospects whom the Rangers want to prioritize. There are likely other opportunities that will offer him a better stage and a chance at upward mobility.
Day is a reminder that sometimes well-intentioned draft choices simply don’t work out. He is a highly talented player with size and elite skating ability. The Rangers gambled on upside and Day has since shown flashes of what he could be, but he has struggled to consistently put all of the pieces together. Because of his tremendous skillset, I still don’t think he can be completely written off as a name for some NHL team’s future. Or, at least, a capable professional team in Europe. But with Day’s descent down the depth chart and only a year remaining on his contract, it’s understandable why both parties decided to cut ties.
