After 150 players hit NHL waivers over the weekend ahead of Monday’s roster deadline, two more hit the waiver wire on Tuesday, the NHL’s opening day. And the names will be very familiar to Washington Capitals fans.
Defenseman Vincent Iorio and forward Conor Sheary were placed on waivers by the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres, respectively.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman first reported the news.
Iorio hits waivers after being placed on injured reserve by the Rangers on Monday and making their finalized Opening Night roster. The rearguard was nursing a lower-body injury during training camp and couldn’t be waived while hurt. Once he was healthy on Tuesday and skated with the team during practice, the Rangers jettisoned him off their 23-man roster.
The 23-year-old defender signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Rangers in late August, paying him $850k in the NHL and $125k in the minors.
Iorio, who has been on a Waivers Journey similar to The Odyssey over the past year, landed with the Rangers last January after they claimed him from the San Jose Sharks. Iorio appeared in just six games for New York, recording zero points and averaging 13:05 of ice time.
During his time with the Sharks in the first half of the season, Iorio appeared in 21 games and notched three assists. He also skated in six games with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda and posted seven assists. Iorio originally landed on the Sharks after the team claimed him from the Capitals on October 16.
While Iorio has moved on from the Capitals, he returned to the Giant Center in support of the AHL’s Hershey Bears in April, where he won two Calder Cups, joining former roommate Hendrix Lapierre.
The Capitals could choose to claim Iorio, but they would have to keep him on the NHL roster all season or risk putting him on waivers again. They’d also have to move on from a reserve player on their current roster like Ethen Frank, Ivan Miroshnichenko, or Dylan McIlrath, which they’re unlikely to do.
If Iorio goes unclaimed, he will be assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack, which plays in the same division as the Bears, the Atlantic.
Sheary was placed on waivers by Buffalo after signing a one-year contract with the Sabres this summer. The 34-year-old veteran is coming off an 18-point season with the Rangers. He previously split the 2024-25 season between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Syracuse Crunch. The winger, one of the few to play with both Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, was a point-per-game player that season in the AHL, posting 61 points (20g, 41a) in 59 games.
The two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Penguins previously spent three seasons with the Capitals from 2020-21 through 2022-23, recording 102 points (48g, 54a) in 206 games. Washington initially signed him to a one-year, $735k contract, then rewarded his strong first season with a two-year extension.
