Arizona Coyotes claim F Riley Nash off waivers from Tampa Bay Lightning

The Arizona Coyotes have claimed forward Riley Nash off waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team announced on Thursday.

Nash, 32, has played in 25 games this season with the Lightning and Winnipeg Jets.

The 6-foot-2, 188-pound forward played 15 games with the Jets before being placed on waivers and claimed by Tampa Bay on Dec. 7.

“We’ve been banged up down the middle, so he’s a veteran NHL player who can play from your first line all the way down to your fourth line,” Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Thursday. “He’s really good on faceoffs, he’s really good on the PK. He’s also a leader, we like that.

“One of our management personnel John Ferguson had him in Boston and just loved what he brought to the table. So we’re gonna bring him in here and he’s gonna have a great chance to move into our lineup and just give us some more veteran presence. With (center Jay) Beagle out for us, who was a huge part of our team, Nash can kind of go in there and assume his spot.”

Originally drafted No. 21 overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2007 NHL Draft, Nash has posted 172 points on 63 goals and 109 assists across 603 regular-season games with the Carolina Hurricanes, Boston Bruins, Columbus Blue Jackets, Jets and Lightning.

His 11-year career includes eight points (2-6-8) in 34 playoff games with the Bruins, Blue Jackets and Toronto Maple Leafs, the last of which only featured two outings in a first-round playoff exit.

Nash also set a single-season career-high for goals (15), assists (26), and points (41) in 2017-18 with the Bruins.

The Coyotes host the Chicago Blackhawks at 7 p.m. on Thursday night at Gila River Arena.

Catch all the action on ESPN 620 AM or 98.7 FM HD-2.

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