The Edmonton Oilers placed goaltender Alex Stalock on waivers, the team announced Friday.
The move marks the next step in the 34-year-old's journey back to the NHL. Stalock was initially expected to miss the entirety of the 2021-22 season due to a heart condition.
If he passes through waivers, the Oilers intend to have Stalock play in the AHL if his health permits, according to The Athletic's Daniel Nugent-Bowman.
The Athletic's Michael Russo reported earlier this week that Stalock had been cleared by his doctor and was headed to Bakersfield, California - the site of the Oilers' AHL affiliate - to take a physical. Russo added that Stalock would be placed on waivers if he cleared his physical.
When addressing Stalock's condition at the beginning of training camp in September, Oilers general manager Ken Holland said the goaltender's heart issue was flagged after he underwent more tests following the team's physical exam at the end of the 2020-21 campaign.
Stalock started the 2020-21 season as a member of the Minnesota Wild and was waived by the team in late February. The Oilers picked him up, but Stalock spent the majority of the season on the taxi squad and didn't end up playing in a single game.
He logged a .910 save percentage across 38 appearances in 2019-20 - his last taste of NHL action.
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