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Waivers: 9/28/25

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With more and more cuts to training camp rosters being made, the waiver wire is becoming increasingly active. Today is another busy day on waivers as PuckPedia reports that 23 players have been waived. All of yesterday’s waived players have cleared.

Anaheim Ducks

F Jan Mysak

Buffalo Sabres

D Zac Jones
F Jake Leschyshyn

Columbus Blue Jackets

F Hudson Fasching
F Brendan Gaunce
F Mikael Pyyhtia

Chicago Blackahwks

F Dominic Toninato

Colorado Avalanche

D Ronnie Attard

Dallas Stars

D Kyle Capobianco
F Kole Lind
F Antonio Stranges

Montreal Canadiens

F Alex Belzile
D Nathan Clurman
F Lucas Condotta
D Marc Del Gaizo
F Sean Farrell

New Jersey Devils

F Ryan Schmelzer

St. Louis Blues

F Matt Luff
D Corey Schueneman

Tampa Bay Lightning

G Ryan Fanti
D Simon Lundmark
F Scott Sabourin
D Steven Santini

Today’s set of waived players is a more diverse mix, both with veteran players likely to play most of 2025-26 in the AHL and some younger players who have some NHL experience and still, theoretically, more room to grow. Jones, from Buffalo, appears to have lost a battle for an NHL job on the team’s blueline, but got into 46 NHL games for the New York Rangers last season and is still just 24 years old.

23-year-old Farrell, waived by Montreal, is a former top prospect who was, just a few years ago, ranked as the Canadiens’ second-best prospect by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler. The former USHL and NCAA star had a strong back half of his 2024-25 AHL season and had six points in four games at the 2022 Winter Olympics, but hasn’t found a way to land an NHL role yet in his two-year pro career.

Beyond those younger names, there are also notable veterans on today’s waiver wire. Fasching, waived by Columbus, played in at least 43 NHL games in each of the last three seasons. Del Gaizo, waived by Montreal, got into 46 games with the Nashville Predators last season. And Toninato, waived by Chicago, has almost 200 NHL games to his name, although he only registered five NHL GP in 2024-25.

Training Camp Cuts: 9/27/25

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We are now 10 days away from opening night, now that training camp has reached its second Saturday. Over the next few days, teams will have some of their biggest cuts of the preseason, while also putting additional players up for claim on the waiver wire. Each team’s current roster can be found at our Training Camp Roster Tracker. Here is the list of today’s cuts:

Buffalo Sabres (per team release)

D Isaac Belliveau (to AHL Rochester)
F Matteo Costantini (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
F Riley Fiddler-Schultz (to AHL Rockford)
D Aidan Fulp (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
F Konsta Helenius (to AHL Rochester)
F Jagger Joshua (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
F Tyler Kopff (to AHL Rochester)
D Vsevolod Komarov (to AHL Rochester)
F Trevor Kuntar (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
D Noah Laaouan (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
G Topias Leinonen (to AHL Rochester)
G Devon Levi (to AHL Rochester)
D Zach Metsa (to AHL Rochester)
F Olivier Nadeau (to AHL Rochester)
F Viktor Neuchev (to AHL Rochester)
D Nikita Novikov (to AHL Rochester)
D Jack Rathbone (to AHL Rochester, pending waiver clearance)
G Scott Ratzlaff (to AHL Rochester)
F Isak Rosen (to AHL Rochester)
F Redmond Savage (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
F Graham Slaggert (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
D Peter Tischke (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
F Brendan Warren (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
F Anton Wahlberg (to AHL Rochester)

Chicago Blackhawks (per team release)

D Cavan Fitzgerald (released from PTO to AHL Rockford)
D Taige Harding (to AHL Rockford)
D Dmitry Kuzmin (to AHL Rockford)
F Paul Ludwinski (to AHL Rockford)
D Ryan Mast (to AHL Rockford)
D Andrew Perrott (released from PTO to AHL Rockford)
F Brett Seney (released from PTO to AHL Rockford)

Colorado Avalanche (per team release)

F Alex Barre-Boulet (to AHL Colorado, pending waiver clearance)
F Tye Felhaber (to AHL Colorado, pending waiver clearance)
F Jason Polin (to AHL Colorado, pending waiver clearance)
F T.J. Tynan (to AHL Colorado, pending waiver clearance)
D Sean Behrens (to AHL Colorado)
F Ivan Ivan (to AHL Colorado)
F Jayson Megna (to AHL Colorado)
F Tristen Nielsen (to AHL Colorado)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)

F Roman Ahcan (to AHL Cleveland)
F Riley Bezeau (to AHL Cleveland)
D Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm (to AHL Cleveland)
D Caleb MacDonald (to AHL Cleveland)
D Will MacKinnon (to AHL Cleveland)
D Dysin Mayo (to AHL Cleveland, pending waiver clearance)
F Hunter McKown (to AHL Cleveland, pending waiver clearance)
F Ryland Mosley (to AHL Cleveland)
D Guillaume Richard (to AHL Cleveland)
G Zachary Sawchenko (to AHL Cleveland, pending waiver clearance)
F Owen Sillinger (to AHL Cleveland, pending waiver clearance)

Edmonton Oilers (per team announcement)

D Josh Brown (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waiver clearance)
F Roby Jarventie (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waiver clearance)
G Samuel Jonsson (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Viljami Marjala (to AHL Bakersfield)

New York Islanders (per team announcement)

G Tristan Lennox (to AHL Bridgeport)
F Eetu Liukas (to AHL Bridgeport)
D Jesse Pulkkinen (to AHL Bridgeport)
F Gleb Veremyev (to AHL Bridgeport)
D Marshall Warren (to AHL Bridgeport)

New York Rangers (per team announcement)

F Nathan Aspinall (to OHL Flint)

Philadelphia Flyers (per team release)

D Spencer Gill (to QMJHL Blainville-Boisbriand)
F Jack Nesbitt (to OHL Windsor)

Pittsburgh Penguins (per team release)

F Raivis Ansons (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D David Breazeale (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Tommy Budnick (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Kyle Criscuolo (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Brayden Edwards (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Zach Gallant (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Max Graham (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Brent Johnson (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Jordan Kaplan (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Gabe Klassen (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Daniel Laatsch (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Brett Murray (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
G Maxim Pavlenko (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Emil Pieniniemi (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Zach Urdahl (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)

Seattle Kraken (per team announcements)

F JR Avon (to AHL Coachella Valley)
D Lukas Dragicevic (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Jagger Firkus (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F David Goyette (to AHL Coachella Valley)
D Kaden Hammell (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Justin Janicke (to AHL Coachella Valley)
D Tyson Jugnauth (to AHL Coachella Valley)
G Niklas Kokko (to AHL Coachella Valley)
G Jack LaFontaine (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Andrei Loshko (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Ian McKinnon (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Jacob Melanson (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Logan Morrison (to AHL Coachella Valley)
D Ty Nelson (to AHL Coachella Valley)
D Gustav Olofsson (to AHL Coachella Valley)
G Victor Ostman (to AHL Coachella Valley)
D Caden Price (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Carson Rehkopf (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Lleyton Roed (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Eduard Sale (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Nathan Villeneuve (to OHL Sudbury)

Vegas Golden Knights (per team announcement)

F Braeden Bowman (to AHL Henderson)
F Jakub Brabenec (to AHL Henderson)
F Mathieu Cataford (to AHL Henderson)
D Artur Cholach (to AHL Henderson)
D Jeremy Davies (to AHL Henderson)
F Jakub Demek (to AHL Henderson)
F/D Joe Fleming (to AHL Henderson)
F Jackson Hallum (to AHL Henderson)
F Ben Hemmerling (to AHL Henderson)
D Brandon Hickey (to AHL Henderson)
D Lucas Johansen (to AHL Henderson)
D Viliam Kmec (to AHL Henderson)
D Samuel Mayer (to AHL Henderson)
F Riley McKay (to AHL Henderson)
F Mitch McLain (to AHL Henderson)
F Devon Paliani (to AHL Henderson)
F Matyas Sapovaliv (to AHL Henderson)
D Christoffer Sedoff (to AHL Henderson)
F Sloan Stanick (to AHL Henderson)
F Trent Swick (to AHL Henderson)
F Kai Uchacz (to AHL Henderson)
F Tuomas Uronen (to AHL Henderson)
G Jesper Vikman (to AHL Henderson)
F Kevin Wall (to AHL Henderson)
G Cameron Whitehead (to AHL Henderson)

Washington Capitals (per team announcement)

F Zac Funk (to AHL Hershey)
G Mitch Gibson (to AHL Hershey)
F Ryan Hofer (to AHL Hershey)
F Lynden Lakovic (to WHL Moose Jaw)
D Aaron Ness (to AHL Hershey)
F Ludwig Persson (to AHL Hershey)
D Calle Rosen (to AHL Hershey, pending waivers)
F Spencer Smallman (to AHL Hershey, pending waivers)
F Matt Strome (to AHL Hershey)
F Alexander Suzdalev (to AHL Hershey)

Waivers: 9/27/25

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As training camp cuts continue to occur, there will be an uptick in waiver placements over the next week and a half.  Today is a particularly busy day on the wire with PuckPedia reporting that 20 players are now on waivers.  Meanwhile, all of yesterday’s players cleared, per PuckPedia.

Buffalo Sabres

D Jack Rathbone

Calgary Flames

D Jeremie Poirier

Columbus Blue Jackets

D Dysin Mayo
F Hunter McKown
G Zachary Sawchenko
F Owen Sillinger

Colorado Avalanche

F Alex Barre-Boulet
F Tye Felhaber
F Jason Polin
F T.J. Tynan

Edmonton Oilers

D Josh Brown
F James Hamblin
F Roby Jarventie

New York Islanders

F Adam Beckman

St. Louis Blues

F Nikita Alexandrov
F Hugh McGing

Toronto Maple Leafs

F Travis Boyd
F Benoit-Olivier Groulx
F Vinni Lettieri

Vegas Golden Knights

D Lukas Cormier

For the most part, this is a group of veteran players who have cleared waivers multiple times in the past and should expect to do so here as well.  That said, Lettieri has gotten into 72 NHL games over the last two seasons and could be appealing to a team looking for some extra depth down the middle.  Alexandrov didn’t see any action with St. Louis last season but averaged just over a point per game with AHL Springfield last season and has 51 career NHL appearances under his belt.  Boyd was a full-time NHL player as recently as 2022-23 and is one game shy of 300 for his career but has settled in as more of an AHL veteran since then.

At this time of year, it’s sometimes the younger players who might garner some attention and there are some on this list who could draw a look.  Cormier and Poirier are only 23 and have shown some offensive upside in the past at both the QMJHL and AHL levels.  Jarventie was once a prospect with some upside before an injury derailed his 2024-25 campaign but if there’s a team that thinks he has fully recovered, he could garner attention as well.

These players will be on waivers until 1 PM CT on Sunday.

Ducks Sign Mason McTavish To Six-Year Contract

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The Ducks and center Mason McTavish have finally reached the finish line in their prolonged contract negotiations.  The team announced that they’ve signed McTavish to a six-year contract; Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) it’s worth $7MM per season.  GM Pat Verbeek released the following statement:

Mason is a key part of our team, and we’re excited to reach a long-term agreement that reflects his importance to our future. He’s a highly skilled, physical, and competitive player who plays the game the right way. Mason has already made a significant impact at a young age, and we’re confident he’ll continue to grow into a top player as we build toward sustained success.

The 22-year-old was the third overall pick in 2021 and is coming off his best statistical season so far, one that saw him score 22 goals and 30 assists in 76 games while primarily playing on the second line.  That was an offensive improvement over his first two NHL campaigns, where he put up 43 and 42 points respectively.  Given his draft pedigree and improvement, McTavish was in line for a significant raise and while it took them a while to agree on the terms of such a deal, they’ve finally worked it out.

Both sides had agreed a while back that a long-term pact was preferred.  For most young impact centers, those deals have fallen within the $7MM to $8MM range, most of which came in a salary cap environment that was more limited than it is now.  On the other hand, it appears that there is a ceiling in place that Verbeek wasn’t willing to go past.  Veteran Troy Terry and newcomer Mikael Granlund both make $7MM per season and with Terry’s track record, it might have been hard for Verbeek to justify giving McTavish more than that.  Accordingly, it’s probably not a coincidence that McTavish’s AAV checks in exactly at that number.

The trade-off to that is that instead of a maximum-term eight-year agreement (that is still legal for one more year), Anaheim had to settle for just a six-year pact.  In doing so, they only pick up an extra two years of team control while McTavish will now be eligible to test unrestricted free agency in the 2031 offseason when he’ll be 28.

Still, even though they didn’t get the maximum commitment, they have someone they feel will be a long-term core piece locked up at what should be a reasonable price tag (assuming he continues to improve) for six years.  That’s a more than long enough timeline for Anaheim to get through what they hope will be the final phase of their rebuild and a return to contention.  Meanwhile, what happened with these discussions could serve as a look ahead to what could happen next summer when Leo Carlsson, another promising young middleman, will be RFA-eligible for the first time.

With the signing, the Ducks have all of their players under contract for the upcoming season and still have over $13.5MM in cap space, per PuckPedia.  If Anaheim under new head coach Joel Quenneville gets off to a hotter start than expected, Verbeek should have plenty of wiggle room to try to add to his roster midseason.

Photo courtesy of Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images.

Training Camp Cuts: 9/26/25

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Today marks the second Friday of training camp. One week from now, we’ll be four days away from opening night. We continue to track roster cuts as they come across the wire. This piece will be updated throughout the day.

Buffalo Sabres (per team announcement)

D Noah Laberge (to QMJHL Newfoundland)
G Ryerson Leenders (to OHL Brantford)

Calgary Flames (per team announcement)

F Andrew Basha (to AHL Calgary)
F Parker Bell (to AHL Calgary)
F Lucas Ciona (to AHL Calgary)
F Martin Frk (to AHL Calgary)
F Alex Gallant (to AHL Calgary)
F Carter King (to AHL Calgary)
D Simon Mack (to AHL Calgary)
D Étienne Morin (to AHL Calgary)
G Connor Murphy (to AHL Calgary)
D Jérémie Poirier (to AHL Calgary pending waivers; placement will be Saturday)
G Arsenii Sergeev (to AHL Calgary)
F David Silye (to AHL Calgary)
F Carter Wilkie (to AHL Calgary)

Colorado Avalanche (per team announcement)

D Connor Kelley (to AHL Colorado)
D Hank Kempf (to AHL Colorado)
D Saige Weinstein (to AHL Colorado)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per Chris Johnston of TSN/The Athletic)

G Ivan Fedotov (to AHL Cleveland, pending waivers)

Edmonton Oilers (per team announcement)

D Beau Akey (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Connor Clattenburg (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Matt Copponi (to AHL Bakersfield)
G Nathaniel Day (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Seth Griffith (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Jayden Grubbe (to AHL Bakersfield)
F James Hamblin (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waivers; placement will be Saturday)
D Mason Millman (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Matvey Petrov (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Rem Pitlick (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Rhett Pitlick (to AHL Bakersfield)
D Luke Prokop (to AHL Bakersfield)
F James Stefan (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Brady Stonehouse (to AHL Bakersfield)

Nashville Predators (per team announcement)

D Scott Harrington (released from PTO)
D Cameron Reid (to OHL Kitchener)

New York Islanders (per Chris Johnston of TSN/The Athletic, team release, and Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News)

F Max Dorrington (to AHL Bridgeport)
F Liam Foudy (to AHL Bridgeport, pending waivers)
F Julien Gauthier (to AHL Bridgeport, pending waivers)
F Alex Jefferies (to AHL Bridgeport)
F Joey Larson (to AHL Bridgeport)
F Matthew Maggio (to AHL Bridgeport)
D Cole McWard (to AHL Bridgeport, pending waivers)
D Travis Mitchell (to AHL Bridgeport, pending waivers)
D Ross Mitton (to AHL Bridgeport)
D Calle Odelius (to AHL Bridgeport)
F Chris Terry (to AHL Bridgeport)
F Cam Thiesing (to AHL Bridgeport)
G Henrik Tikkanen (to AHL Bridgeport)

San Jose Sharks (per team announcement)

D Noah Beck (to AHL San Jose)
D Mattias Havelid (to AHL San Jose)
F Lucas Vanroboys (to AHL San Jose)
F Anthony Vincent (to AHL San Jose)

Utah Mammoth (per Chris Johnston of TSN/The Athletic, and a team release)

F Owen Allard (to AHL Tucson)
F Maksim Barbashev (to AHL Tucson)
D Kevin Connauton (to AHL Tucson, pending waivers)
F Caleb Desnoyers (to QMJHL Moncton)
D Artem Duda (to AHL Tucson)
F Michal Kunc (to AHL Tucson)
F Sam Lipkin (to AHL Tucson)
F Julian Lutz (to AHL Tucson)
F Miko Matikka (to AHL Tucson)
F Ryan McGregor (to AHL Tucson)
G Dryden McKay (to AHL Tucson)
D Lleyton Moore (to AHL Tucson)
F Noel Nordh (to AHL Tucson)
D Montana Onyebuchi (to AHL Tucson)
F Austin Poganski (to AHL Tucson)
F Jack Ricketts (to AHL Tucson)
D Maksymilian Szuber (to AHL Tucson)
F Ty Tullio (to AHL Tucson)
F Samuel Walker (to AHL Tucson)
G Dylan Wells (to AHL Tucson)

Vancouver Canucks (per team announcement)

D Sawyer Mynio (to AHL Abbotsford)

Washington Capitals (per Chris Johnston of TSN/The Athletic)

D Calle Rosen (to AHL Hershey, pending waivers)
F Spencer Smallman (to AHL Hershey, pending waivers)

Waivers: 9/26/25

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The following players have hit waivers for pending AHL assignments today as camp cuts continue, per Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic. Everyone waived yesterday cleared, per PuckPedia.

Columbus Blue Jackets

G Ivan Fedotov

New York Islanders

F Liam Foudy, F Julien Gauthier, D Cole McWard, D Travis Mitchell

Utah Mammoth

D Kevin Connauton

Washington Capitals

D Calle Rosen, F Spencer Smallman

Fedotov is the most eye-popping name here, but it’s not unexpected. It was clear after they acquired the netminder from the Flyers that they didn’t anticipate having him on the NHL roster as part of a three-goalie rotation with Jet Greaves and Elvis Merzlikins and would place him on waivers during camp with the hope he’d clear and report to AHL Cleveland. Today is that day. They’re hoping his $3.275MM cap hit, albeit on an expiring deal, is enough of a deterrent for clubs not to claim the former KHL Goalie of the Year and highly-touted prospect. He posted a 6-13-4 record, .880 SV%, and 3.15 GAA in 26 appearances in his rookie season in Philly last year. If he clears and heads to Cleveland, he’ll still count for $2.125MM against the Jackets’ books.

None of the four names from the Islanders were expected to make legitimate ploys for a roster spot. Foudy and Gauthier are experienced names who will be high on the list of recall options from Bridgeport when the season gets underway, though. The duo combined for just three NHL appearances in 2024-25 but were among the farm club’s leading scorers. McWard and Mitchell will have a harder time finding opportunities to fill in on the NHL blue line and are likely ticketed to spend the whole year in Bridgeport behind more intriguing depth options like Ethan Bear and Isaiah George.

Connauton, 35, has 360 games of NHL experience but hasn’t appeared at the top level since the 2021-22 season. He’s slated to spend a fourth consecutive season in the minors as a result. He’s playing out the back half of the two-year, two-way deal he signed with Utah last summer. He served as an alternate captain for the club’s AHL partner in Tucson, posting a 6-11–17 scoring line with a -5 rating in 56 appearances while racking up 78 PIMs.

Rosen signed a two-way deal with the Caps this summer after spending last year in the minors in the Avalanche organization, where he had 34 points in 62 games for the Colorado Eagles. He’s got semi-considerable NHL experience with 93 games under his belt and will be among Washington’s top recall options from Hershey should they need an offensive-minded defender to fill in. Smallman, 29, is entering his ninth professional season without any NHL action to speak of. He signed a two-year, two-way extension with the club back in April to keep him with Hershey through 2026-27. He posted a career-high 10-24–34 scoring line in 62 games for the Bears last year.

KHL’s Barys Astana Sign Tyler Wotherspoon

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Another depth player is headed overseas after failing to find a new home in North America. Earlier today, the KHL’s Barys Astana announced a one-year contract for defenseman Tyler Wotherspoon for the 2025-26 season.

Tyler, the older brother of Pittsburgh Penguins blueliner Parker Wotherspoon, will play his first professional season overseas after a lengthy run in the American Hockey League. The 32-year-old defenseman first joined the professional ranks with the Calgary Flames as the 57th overall pick of the 2011 NHL Draft.

Wotherspoon played several more years with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks before joining the Flames organization, where he achieved a seven-goal, 37-point performance during the 2012-13 season in 61 games. He debuted in the NHL the following year, tallying four assists in 14 games with Calgary, and another one goal and nine points in 48 games for their then-affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat.

The native of Burnaby, British Columbia, spent an additional four years in the Flames organization, concluding his time with a career-high of seven goals and 37 points in 67 AHL games during the 2017-18 season, with a +19 rating. From the 2018-19 season to the 2024-25 campaign, Wotherspoon bounced around various locations, all in the AHL, with the St. Louis Blues, Philadelphia Flyers, New Jersey Devils, and Montreal Canadiens organizations.

As the assistant captain for the Laval Rocket last year, Wotherspoon concluded his professional tenure in North America for the time being with a two-goal, 18-point performance in 72 games. He’ll now join a Barys Astana team that has started the 2025-26 season with a 3-4-1 record through their first eight contests, one year after finishing in last place in the Eastern Conference.

Predators Reassign Cameron Reid, Release Scott Harrington

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The Predators have trimmed their training camp roster by two this morning, saying goodbye to a pair of semi-notable defensemen. The club announced they’ve reassigned first-round pick Cameron Reid to OHL Kitchener and released Scott Harrington from his professional tryout.

Reid, 18, was the No. 21 overall pick in June’s draft and was never expected to challenge for an NHL job on his first try. That’s not to detract from the mobile lefty’s skills – more than a few public rankings had him going in the teens, but at “just” 6’0″, he slipped in a draft where teams prioritized height on the blue line. He was the fifth defenseman off the board and had a well-rounded showing for Kitchener last year, posting a 14-40–54 scoring line in 67 appearances with 44 PIMs and a +39 rating. He also won a gold medal with Canada at the under-18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup at the beginning of the season.

Reid was in Nashville’s camp by virtue of his presence on their reserve list. They’ve yet to sign him to an entry-level contract, so he’s not eligible to play in a regular-season contest yet anyway. He’ll return to Kitchener for a third junior season before getting a longer look at an opening night slot next fall.

Harrington was brought into camp for veteran depth to help them meet exhibition game minimums early on in the preseason schedule, but he ended up not making an appearance. The team did not say whether he had been assigned to their AHL affiliate’s camp. Considering he hasn’t signed a contract or tryout agreement with Milwaukee, it’s fair to assume this is a true departure from the organization and he’ll need to look elsewhere to play in 2025-26.

The 32-year-old’s resume boasts over 250 games of NHL experience, although none since the 2022-23 season. He spent last year on an AHL contract with the Springfield Thunderbirds, where he had five points and a -5 rating in 49 appearances.

Maple Leafs Sign James Reimer To PTO

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The Maple Leafs have signed veteran netminder James Reimer to a professional tryout, per a club announcement.

If it results in a contract, it could end up being a bookend to the 37-year-old’s NHL career. Reimer was a fourth-round pick by the Leafs back in 2006 and broke into the NHL with them four years later. He spent nearly six full seasons with the Leafs, spending a good chunk of that time in tandem with Jonathan Bernier, before being dealt to the Sharks at the 2016 trade deadline to kick off the journeyman portion of his career. His first go-around with Toronto saw him post an 85-76-23 record, .914 SV%, 2.83 GAA, and 11 shutouts in 207 appearances. He guided the club to its only playoff appearance of the Phil Kessel era and was excellent in a seven-game loss to the Bruins in the first round in 2013, logging a .923 SV% in that series.

He rejoins the organization now as much-needed depth after the club announced earlier this week that Joseph Woll had taken a personal leave and would be out indefinitely. Behind Woll’s tandem partner, Anthony Stolarz, the Leafs had only six games of NHL experience in their goaltending pipeline – all belonging to third-stringer Dennis Hildeby last season. Reimer’s 525 career games are more than twice the combined total of every available Toronto goalie at the moment.

Of course, Reimer is no longer the serviceable 30-to-40-start netminder he was for the Leafs a decade ago. He’s a fine backup option now, but hasn’t posted an above-average save percentage in each of the last three seasons. He made 21 starts and three relief appearances last year between the Ducks and Sabres, spending a good portion of the season as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s No. 2 in Buffalo. He compiled a 10-10-2 record with a .896 SV% and 3.04 GAA with one shutout. While those are below-average numbers on the surface, he ended up with a whopping 8.0 goals saved above expected thanks to some porous Sabres defensive performances in front of him, according to MoneyPuck. That ranked 25th in the league last year.

That latter number means he could be an intriguing stopgap for a Leafs squad that squeezed the best out of Stolarz and Woll last season. If Woll ends up missing extended time, he could be lined up to get more than the 1-in-4 workload he’s seen over the past couple of years with Stolarz untested past the 30-game range in a season.

Flyers Place Oscar Eklind On Waivers

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Waiver activity has been light today as teams are still carrying fairly large camp rosters into the second week of on-ice activities. Only three teams made placements today – one of them being the Flyers, who announced that winger Oscar Eklind has hit the wire as part of a larger round of cuts.

Eklind, 27, arrived in Philly as an undrafted free agent signing out of his native Sweden last summer. The 6’4″, 220-lb winger landed a one-year entry-level deal on the heels of a career-best campaign in the SHL with Luleå HF, putting together a 17-11–28 scoring line in 48 games.

That’s a relatively modest offensive line for an overseas addition in his mid-20s, but his potential upside largely stemmed from his size and hard-nosed play. Understandably, he didn’t have the most productive year in the minors last season upon arriving in North America. Eklind suited up 64 times for AHL Lehigh Valley, limited to five goals and 17 assists for 22 points.

The Flyers liked what they saw, though. Not only was it enough for them to bring him back, it was enough for them to give him an extension before reaching RFA status – a one-way deal at that – to pay him an $800K salary in 2025-26 even if he ended up back in the minors. That was presumably more than he would have made returning to Sweden, so he’ll be set for another year as a farmhand in Lehigh Valley in the likely event he clears waivers tomorrow. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

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