San Jose goalie Nolan Schaefer cleared waivers Friday and was assigned to the Sharks' affiliate in Worcester, Mass., allowing the club to avoid losing its third-string goalie in a personnel logjam.

The Sharks failed to trade Vesa Toskala or Evgeni Nabokov before the regular season began, forcing the club to keep both veteran goalies on its roster while exposing Schaefer to waivers. Schaefer, who won his first five starts for the Sharks last season in limited duty, was expected to become a full-time NHL backup after Toskala or Nabokov left.

Toskala started San Jose's 5-4 overtime victory over St. Louis later in the day, and Nabokov is expected to play Saturday against the New York Islanders.

Schaefer will return for his fourth season with the Sharks' top affiliate, which was located in Cleveland for the past three years.