NHL teams utilized the waiver wire heavily on Sunday. 59 total players were placed on waivers by 22 different teams.
All 32 teams are preparing to submit their final Opening Night rosters on Monday at 5 pm. The waived players can be claimed by other teams by 2 pm tomorrow.
Waivers
Boston Bruins
F Patrick Brown
G Brandon Bussi
G Jiri Patera
D Billy Sweezey
F Jeffrey Viel
Buffalo Sabres
D Kale Clague
G James Reimer
F Lukas Rousek
Calgary Flames
G Devin Cooley
F Jakob Pelletier
F Cole Schwindt
Carolina Hurricanes
F Josiah Slavin
D Ty Smith
F Ryan Suzuki
Chicago Blackhawks
D Isaak Phillips
Detroit Red Wings
F Sheldon Dries
D Justin Holl
D William Lagesson
D Brogan Rafferty
F Joe Snively
Edmonton Oilers
D Josh Brown
F Drake Caggiula
F Raphael Lavoie
G Olivier Rodrigue
Los Angeles Kings
G Pheonix Copley
F Samuel Fagemo
F Jack Studnicka
Nashville Predators
D Marc Del Gaizo
New Jersey Devils
F Shane Bowers
D Nick DeSimone
F Nolan Foote
D Colton White
New York Islanders
D Samuel Bolduc
F Pierre Engvall
F Hudson Fasching
F Liam Foudy
G Marcus Hogberg
D Grant Hutton
F Fredrik Karlstrom
G Jakub Skarek
New York Rangers
D Matthew Robertson
Ottawa Senators
F Adam Gaudette
F Jan Jenik
Pittsburgh Penguins
D Sebastian Aho
F Bokondji Imama
St. Louis Blues
D Corey Schueneman
D Tyler Tucker
Tampa Bay Lightning
F Gage Goncalves
D Steven Santini
F Jesse Ylonen
Toronto Maple Leafs
G Matt Murray
D Marshall Rifai
Utah Hockey Club
G Matt Villalta
Vancouver Canucks
D Erik Brannstrom
Vegas Golden Knights
F Zach Aston-Reese
F Tanner Laczynski
F Jonas Rondbjerg
Washington Capitals
G Hunter Shepard
Winnipeg Jets
F Jaret Anderson-Dolan
Some of the more notable waived players include Pierre Engvall (F), Jiri Patera (G), Erik Brannstrom (D), Jakob Pelletier (F), Matt Murray (G), and Justin Holl (D).
Engvall’s contract with the New York Islanders, which he signed last year, still has six years at a $3 million cap hit remaining. The 28-year-old winger recorded 28 points (10g, 18a) in 74 games for the Islanders last season. The team can only bury up to $1.15 million of his contract in the minors, so $1.85 million will still count against New York’s cap when Engvall inevitably clears.
Patera and Brannstrom were both recently involved in Vancouver Canucks transactions. The Boston Bruins claimed Patera off waivers from the Canucks on Wednesday as an insurance policy due to troubles with goaltender Jeremy Swayman’s contract negotiations.
The Canucks will likely reclaim Patera and send him to the AHL. Vancouver also traded for Brannstrom on Sunday and then immediately waived him. They sent defenseman Tucker Poolman (20% salary retained) and a 2025 fourth-round pick to the Colorado Avalanche in a pure salary cap dump deal.
Pelletier is likely the most intriguing name waived for teams looking to take a chance on a player. The diminutive winger was Calgary’s first-round pick in 2019 and has previously been a point-per-game player in the AHL. He has recorded 10 points (4g, 6a) in 37 career games with the Flames over the past two seasons.
The veteran Murray is still recovering from injury and hopes to stay with Toronto, while Holl, a former Maple Leafs defender, has not lived up to the 3-year, $10.2 million deal he signed with the Detroit Red Wings last year.
Washington Capitals fans should also recognize Joe Snively and Pheonix Copley. Snively, a former Little Cap and Virginia native, signed with Detroit this past summer after winning back-to-back Calder Cups with the Hershey Bears. Copley has been with the Los Angeles Kings for two seasons after departing Washington at the end of the 2021-22 campaign.
Update (10/7): Five of the players were claimed.
Waiver claims:
Aston-Reese from VGK to CBJ
Reimer from BUF to ANA
Patera from BOS to VAN
Schwindt from CGY to VGK
Lavoie from EDM to VGKEveryone else cleared https://t.co/SJCafZyCFK
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) October 7, 2024
The Capitals’ Hunter Shepard was not one of them and cleared waivers.
