Mark McNeill, Brandon Mashinter placed on waivers by Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks placed forwards Mark McNeill and Brandon Mashinter on waivers Monday, reports The Athletic’s Scott Powers. McNeill is a former first-round pick and the player far more likely to be lost for nothing.

The other 29 NHL teams will have 24 hours to decide whether to make claims on either player. If multiple teams place claims on one player, he will be awarded to the team with the worse 2015-16 record. If there are no claims placed, then McNeill and Mashinter will be assigned to AHL Rockford to open the season.

McNeill, 23, was picked by the Blackhawks with the No. 18 overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft. He was a slow developer, and spent the past couple years in a prominent…