Fitzgerald was waived by the Panthers on Sunday, per Chris Johnston of TSN.
Fitzgerald re-signed with Florida in the offseason after tallying three assists in 27 games between the Panthers and Sabres last year. If he clears waivers, the 26-year-old Fitzgerald will open the 2023-24 campaign with AHL Charlotte.
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Panthers' Casey Fitzgerald: Inks one-year deal
Rotowire
Fitzgerald agreed to a one-year, two-way contract with Florida on Monday.
Fitzgerald contributed three assists, 13 shots on goal, 12 blocked shots and 35 hits in 27 games between Buffalo and Florida last season. He only suited up in four contests with the Panthers after being claimed off waivers from the Sabres on Jan. 11. If he isn't assigned to the minors, Fitzgerald is likely to be used sparingly again in 2023-24.
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Panthers' Casey Fitzgerald: Back to sitting
Rotowire
Fitzgerald returned to being a healthy scratch in Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to Winnipeg due to the return of Anthony Duclair (illness) to the lineup.
Fitzgerald logged just 3:12 of ice time in Friday's 4-3 overtime victory over Chicago. He has skated in three games with the Panthers since being claimed off waivers from Buffalo on Jan. 11. Fitzgerald has three assists, 13 shots on goal, 12 blocks and 33 hits in 26 appearances this season.
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Panthers' Casey Fitzgerald: Waiting for opportunity
Rotowire
Fitzgerald will have to wait for his chance to play after being claimed off waivers from Buffalo by the Panthers, David Dwork of Local 10 Miami reports.
Fitzgerald is currently behind blueliners Aaron Ekblad, Brandon Montour and Radko Gudas on the right side of Florida's depth chart. "He'll get his opportunity here when an opportunity opens up," said coach Paul Maurice on Saturday. The Panthers visit the Sabres on Monday afternoon, but it is unclear if Fitzgerald will get a chance to play against his former team.
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Sabres' Casey Fitzgerald: Goes on waivers
Rotowire
Fitzgerald was placed on waivers Tuesday, TSN's Chris Johnston reports.
Fitzgerald, who hasn't been in the lineup since Dec. 19, has appeared in 23 games with the Sabres this season. He has contributed three assists, 12 shots on goal, 12 blocks and 29 hits.
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Panthers' Casey Fitzgerald: Grabbed off waivers by Panthers
Rotowire
Fitzgerald was claimed off waivers by Florida from Buffalo on Wednesday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.
Fitzgerald has three assists, 29 hits and 12 blocks in 25 games while averaging 13:03 of ice time this season. He was a healthy scratch in the Sabres' last six games before being waived. Perhaps Fitzgerald will start playing regularly again now that he's with the Panthers.
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Sabres' Casey Fitzgerald: Lends helper in win
Rotowire
Fitzgerald produced an assist and went plus-2 in Monday's 3-2 win over the Golden Knights.
Fitzgerald set up a Tage Thompson tally in the second period of this game. This was Fitzgerald's second assist in the last five games. He continues to see fairly steady bottom-four usage as the Sabres are missing three regulars on their blue line. The 25-year-old has three assists 12 shots on net, 29 hits, 12 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating in 23 outings this season, so he won't be on the fantasy radar in the vast majority of formats.
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Sabres' Casey Fitzgerald: Garners first assist
Rotowire
Fitzgerald produced an assist, a plus-3 rating and two PIM in Monday's 8-3 win over the Red Wings.
With injuries piling up on the Sabres' blue line, Fitzgerald has had to play a larger role than initially expected this year. He earned his first assist of the campaign on a Tage Thompson goal in the first period. Through six outings, Fitzgerald has a plus-2 rating, four shots on goal, eight hits, two PIM and a blocked shot while mainly playing on the third pairing.
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Sabres' Casey Fitzgerald: Filling in for Sabres
Rotowire
Fitzgerald has played in two straight games for Buffalo after being scratched for the first three contests of the season.
Fitzgerald made his season debut this past Thursday against Calgary after Ilya Lyubushkin (lower body) got injured. He got to play again Saturday versus Vancouver when Henri Jokiharju (face) went on the sidelines. Fitzgerald has been credited with four shots on goal and three hits this campaign.
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Sabres' Casey Fitzgerald: Good to go
Rotowire
Fitzgerald (lower body) will play in Friday's preseason finale versus Pittsburgh.
Fitzgerald missed a few practices earlier in the week due to a lower-body injury, but whatever he was dealing with clearly wasn't overly serious. The 25-year-old defender picked up six helpers while posting an ugly minus-19 rating through 36 top-level appearances last season.
Fitzgerald sustained an undisclosed injury that kept him out of Monday's practice session, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.
At this point, Fitzgerald could miss Tuesday's preseason clash with the Hurricanes due to his undisclosed injury. Considering the defenseman was labeled day-to-day, he should be ready for Opening Night against the Senators on Oct. 13, though there has been no official confirmation. Even if Fitzgerald is given the all-clear, he is unlikely to offer significant fantasy value given his limited offensive upside.
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Sabres' Casey Fitzgerald: Demoted to minors
Rotowire
Fitzgerald was sent down to AHL Rochester on Friday.
Fitzgerald has averaged just 12:55 of ice time over his last five contests, so his reassignment should be an opportunity for the defenseman to see more minutes. With Fitzgerald headed to the minors, one of Mark Pysyk, Will Butcher or Colin Miller figures to step into the lineup versus the Blackhawks on Friday.
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Sabres' Casey Fitzgerald: Suiting up Sunday
Rotowire
Fitzgerald (upper body) is in Sunday's lineup against the Rangers, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.
Fitzgerald will return after missing the last six contests with an upper-body issue. The 25-year-old rookie is averaging 17:36 of ice time with four assists over 21 career NHL games. He'll skate in a bottom-pair role Sunday.
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Sabres' Casey Fitzgerald: Won't play Friday
Rotowire
Fitzgerald (upper body) will miss out versus Washington on Friday, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.
While Fitzgerald was removed from injured reserve Wednesday, the Sabres are clearly taking a cautious approach to putting the blueliner back in the lineup. Even when he does return to action, the 25-year-old Massachusetts native is far from a lock for the lineup and could serve as a healthy scratch periodically.
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Sabres' Casey Fitzgerald: Activated off injured reserve
Rotowire
Fitzgerald (upper body) has been removed from injured reserve, per the NHL media site.
Fitzgerald was given medical clearance to play but won't be in the lineup for Wednesday's matchup with the Penguins. Still, the fact that the team took him off IR should clear the way for him to return to the lineup soon, perhaps as early as Friday's clash with Washington.
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Sabres' Casey Fitzgerald: Won't be rushed back
Rotowire
Although Fitzgerald (upper body) has been medically cleared to play, he won't be in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus Pittsburgh, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports.
Fitzgerald will likely need to log a few full practices before rejoining the lineup. The 25-year-old blueliner, who's been sidelined since March 10 with an upper-body injury, has picked up four assists through 21 games this season.
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Sabres' Casey Fitzgerald: Cleared to play
Rotowire
Fitzgerald (upper body) has been medically cleared to return, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports.
Fitzgerald has been sidelined since March 10 and is currently on injured reserve. He may need a practice or two to get back up to game speed, but Fitzgerald could theoretically play as soon as Wednesday in Pittsburgh, as long as he's removed from IR first.
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Sabres' Casey Fitzgerald: Moves to injured reserve
Rotowire
Fitzgerald (upper body) was placed on injured reserve Thursday, per CapFriendly.
Fitzgerald was already ruled out for the Sabres' road trip in western Canada, so his move to injured reserve is no surprise. Colin Miller (undisclosed) was activated from IR in a corresponding move and should take Fitzgerald's place on defense going forward.
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Sabres' Casey Fitzgerald: Won't travel with team
Rotowire
Fitzgerald (upper body) is not expected to travel with the Sabres for their upcoming three-game road trip, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.
Fitzgerald is still looking for his first NHL goal despite having chipped in four helpers and 25 shots in 21 games this season. The 24-year-old defenseman's absence, fortunately, coincides with the return of Henri Jokiharju , who is two games back from a lower-body problem. Even once cleared to play, Fitzgerald is far from a lock for the lineup and may spend time as a healthy scratch or in the minors.
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Sabres' Casey Fitzgerald: Sidelined with upper-body issue
Rotowire
Fitzgerald (upper body) won't play Sunday versus Toronto, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports.
Mark Pysyk will replace Fitzgerald in the lineup for Sunday's contest. At this point it isn't clear when Fitzgerald, who's picked up four points through 21 games this season, will be ready to return.
