It seems improbable given the shaky state of so many NHL teams' goaltending, but the Anaheim Ducks were unable to find a palatable trade offer for talented netminder Ilya Bryzgalov. And so, on Friday afternoon, they placed him on waivers.

"What I promised Bryz is that I would find him a place to play," Burke told The Canadian Press on Friday. "Bryz is a great kid and a loyal soldier. He's won three playoff rounds for us and he deserves to play somewhere. But I was unable to move him. The single, biggest obstacle was that he's unrestricted at the end of the year. I wasn't offered anything of value for him. But I promised him, 'If I can't get something of value for you, we'll put you on waivers."'

Bryzgalov is earning only $1.36 million this season, and as Burke said, is due to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. But it would seem that those two factors would have increased, rather than decreased, his market value. That there was no long-term commitment, and no big dollars committed, should have encouraged at least one of the litany of NHL teams struggling between the pipes to take a chance on him.

Indeed, the team acquiring Bryzgalov would effectively be getting a trial run, during which they could determine whether he has the mettle to emerge as a bona fide NHL starter, and given what the Oilers gave up to acquire Dwayne Roloson back in 2006, it would seem that the market should have been a lot more liquid for a goalie of Bryzgalov's caliber, particularly given the postseason success he enjoyed with the Ducks.

"In my mind, he's earned this," said Burke. "When a player gives you everything he has and he's a quality person, he deserves a chance to play. And if you can't manufacture that chance, then this is the way you have to do it."

Bryzgalov is 2-3-1 this season with 2.55 goals-against average and .909 save percentage. He's 26-23-8 for his NHL career with a 2.48 GAA and .909 save percentage. He was taken 44th overall by Anaheim in the 2000 NHL entry draft.

Looking ahead, here are five NHL teams that should definitely be putting in claims on Bryzgalov...

1) Phoenix Coyotes: Gretzky's squad would improve dramatically with an upgrade between the pipes, for neither Mikael Tellqvist nor Alex Auld can legitimately be considered a superior option to Bryzgalov. Even if they don't intend to keep him beyond this season, Bryzgalov would be a great trade chip for the Coyotes, especially if he can string together a series of quality starts.

2) Atlanta Thrashers: The Thrashers' franchise goalie is Kari Lehtonen, but his continued groin woes are a cause for serious concern. Acquiring Bryzgalov would take some of the heat off Lehtonen, allowing him to take a more cautious approach to rehabilitation, and a strong performance through the next 20-30 games would make Bryzgalov a valuable commodity for Thrashers GM Don Waddell to deal away as the trade deadline approaches.

3) Pittsburgh Penguins: It's abundantly clear that the Penguins don't have complete faith in the talented but erratic Marc-Andre Fleury, and so it's time to consider other options. Bryzgalov represents a relatively risk-free opportunity for the Pens, and he'd be a huge improvement over Dany Sabourin as Fleury's back-up. Most importantly of all, this young team would benefit from Bryzgalov's postseason experience. Put simply, he'd significantly improve their chances of reaching the postseason.

4) Tampa Bay Lightning: It's difficult to believe that the Lightning weren't willing to give the Ducks anything of consequence for Bryzgalov. The teams were trade partners last season, when Tampa acquired rearguard Shane O'Brien for a first round pick, so it's clear that there is an open line of communication between Brian Burke and Jay Feaster. So why wouldn't Feaster pull the trigger on a deal that has the potential to rectify his team's most pressing concern?

5) Los Angeles Kings: Last summer, there was much speculation that UFA-to-be J-S Giguere would spurn the Ducks and sign with the Kings. As we now know, Giguere committed long-term to the Ducks, paving the way for Bryzgalov's departure. Jason LaBarbera and J-S Aubin have both been quite solid thus far this season, but nothing would stoke the Freeway Faceoff's flames quite so well as a defection by Bryzgalov to the Kings. And realistically, while both Aubin and LaBarbera are decent netminders, neither is in the same class as Bryzgalov.

Meanwhile, the Ducks will now look to Swiss netminder Jonas Hiller to back up Giguere. Hiller was sent to Portland of the AHL following the preseason, but will now most certainly be called up.

That the Ducks are parting ways with Bryzgalov isn't a huge surprise. But that they are doing it in this fashion--getting nothing in return--when there should be a seller's market for his services comes as quite a shock.