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Seattle Kraken waive former Detroit Red Wings D Man Dennis Cholowski

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The Seattle Kraken waived former Detroit Red Wings defenseman Dennis Cholowski Wednesday.

The Seattle Kraken’s evaluation of Dennis Cholowski turned out to be exactly the same as the Detroit Red Wings’ assessment.



The Kraken waived Cholowski, 23, Wednesday. If he clears waivers today, which is expected, he will be sent to the Kraken’s minor league affiliate.

Coach Dave Hakstol kept eight defensemen, but Cholowski was unable to earn a spot. Former Buffalo Sabres player William Borgen and ex-Minnesota Wild player Carson Souchy are the No. 7 and No. 8 Seattle defensemen.

The Red Wings drafted Dennis Cholowski 20th overall in 2016. He played 104 games, registering 10 goals and 17 assists. Cholowski has always demonstrated an offensive knack, a sense for when to jump into the rush. But he’s never been able to satisfy his professional coaches when it comes to intensity.  He posted 26 penalty minutes in his 104 games, perhaps an indication that he doesn’t engage as much as he should.

The Red Wings left him exposed in the expansion draft, opting to keep Gustav Lindstrom who had been a more consistent player at the NHL level. They probably would have protected Cholowski had they not acquired Nick Leddy from the New York Islanders.

Cholowski a Holland Pick

Cholowski was drafted during the Ken Holland regime. Fans were disappointed because they wanted the Red Wings to draft Jakob Chychrun. They could have done that. But they chose to move down in the draft. The Red Wings swapped picks with the Arizona Coyotes to move Pavel Datsyuk’s contract.

As Chychrun continued to blossom into a top pairing defenseman and Cholowski didn’t, that decision irritated the fan base even more.

Cholowski still has hope to reach the NHL. Teams traditionally lose defenseman frequently to injury. It seems likely the Kraken would want to see Cholowski at the NHL level. The Charlotte Checkers are Seattle’s minor league team. Would guess Cholowski, presuming he plays well, will get a call-up at some point.