Canes' Kaberle clears waivers

RALEIGH -- In his nine seasons in the NHL, defenseman Frantisek Kaberle has been traded. He has signed a free-agent contract.

But put on waivers? That was a first.

Kaberle, 35, was placed on waivers Monday by the Carolina Hurricanes. No other NHL team picked him up by noon Tuesday, so he's still with the Hurricanes.

But no hard feelings, he said.

"It's part of the business," Kaberle said Tuesday. "It happens."

Kaberle, who is making $2.2 million this season, missed 24 games with a recurring foot problem -- the first 19 games after taking a shot off the inside of his right ankle bone Oct. 28 against the Los Angeles Kings.

"After the injury, I haven't played much," he said. "Before the injury happened, I felt great and I think I played good. It's bad luck."

Having Kaberle clear waivers may be a bit of good luck for the Canes. Defenseman Niclas Wallin, who has been sidelined with an ankle injury, is close to returning but left Tuesday's practice after reaggravating the injury.

Canes coach Paul Maurice said he thought Wallin "tweaked" the ankle, saying defenseman Tim Gleason went through much the same in recovering from a high ankle sprain.

Maurice said Kaberle, who has assists in the past two games, understands the business side of hockey and thus is better suited to handle the jolt of being on waivers.

"It's not such a new situation. This happens fairly regularly around [the league]," Maurice said. "For some players ... it turns out to be some kind of turning point in their career.

"When Frankie came to camp, from my understanding, he really worked hard, he really looked focused, he really looked good. And he had the injury and he hasn't gotten back where he was. Then we got healthy and we [played] some younger defensemen.

"With that being said, he may never miss a game. ... He's probably not overly happy about it, but he's handled it well."