Waiver game

McIlrath and Virtanen can go to AHL and try and get some confidence / gain momentum. AHL team needs some better caliber players anyways. Paajarvi already has a roster spot available with all of the recent forward injuries. With any luck he can find some chemistry. Lots of Swedish Mentors for him.

If the team gets healthier, Gaunce could be sent down without needing waivers (hes been ok, but not great).

you can't put McIlrath in the AHL if you claim him, if a team that claims a player tries to send a player back down to the AHL before 10 games or 30 days, that player is returned to their club and reports straight to the AHL.
Just like Etem from the Ducks, to the Canucks, back to the Ducks.

The Rangers would just claim him back and put him in their AHL system if you try to do this before 10 games or 30 days

That isn't what happened with Etem. 13 day after the Ducks claimed him he was put back on waivers. Etem was not returned to the Canucks. He was waived, cleared, and now reporting to the Ducks farm team.

oh whatevver I wrote the opposite, forgot where he started from since hes a 2bit player.
But the fact still stands, Cancucks Ducks to Canucks. When the Ducks put him back on waivers, the Canucks have the 1st right of refusal essential on this move. Since a team was trying to send him to the minors in the first place, no team is going to just say no to the waiver claim so that player instantly goes back into their farm system.

Same goes with McIlrath. If the canucks claim him and then try to send him down, the Rangers can say thank you very much, claim him back to send down to their AHL.
Either way you arent claiming him and then stashing him in your farm system. It doesnt work that way