Waivers: 9/30/23
With the start of the NHL season now just ten days away, daily waiver activity will be continuing league-wide. Here is a listing of the players that are on the wire today per various team announcements and TSN’s Chris Johnston (Twitter link).
Buffalo Sabres
G Devin Cooley
F Justin Richards
G Dustin Tokarski
Edmonton Oilers
F Drake Caggiula
F Greg McKegg
Montreal Canadiens
D Nicolas Beaudin
F Lucas Condotta
D Brady Keeper
F Mitchell Stephens
Nashville Predators
F Anthony Angello
D Kevin Gravel
G Troy Grosenick
D Jordan Gross
New York Rangers
Ottawa Senators
F Josh Currie
D Dillon Heatherington
F Garrett Pilon
D Lassi Thomson
While Ottawa’s players were announced as being waived on Friday, it was after the 1 PM CT cut-off which means their waiver clock starts today.
Vegas Golden Knights
F Byron Froese
D/F Mason Geertsen
D Dysin Mayo
F Gage Quinney
F Sheldon Rempal
F Jonas Rondbjerg
Most of the forwards on this list have cleared waivers in the past with Condotta being the lone exception as this is his first time eligible for waivers. He spent most of last season in the minors but scored in his lone NHL appearance. Quinney and Rempal were productive in the minors last season, averaging just shy of a point per game while Caggiula had over 50 points as well.
Among the defensemen, Thomson could be one to keep an eye on for a potential claim. The 23-year-old was the 19th overall pick in 2019 and is still on his entry-level contract. He hasn’t had much success at the NHL level so far but as a young right-shot defender, a rebuilding team or two might be inclined to take a flyer on him.
Mayo logged nearly 21 minutes a night on the back end for Arizona back in 2021-22 but cleared waivers last season and was eventually traded to Vegas in exchange for Shea Weber’s LTIR-eligible contract. He has two years left on a one-way deal worth $950K per season which could scare teams off. Beaudin is a former first-rounder himself back in 2018 (27th overall) but has just 22 NHL games under his belt, none of which came last season between Montreal and Chicago.
Grosenick and Tokarski are no strangers to the waiver wire. Tokarski has cleared all five times while Grosenick has cleared six out of eight times he has been waived over the years. This will be Cooley’s first time on waivers but while he had a decent season in Nashville’s system last season (posting a .909 SV% with AHL Milwaukee), it would be surprising to see him picked up.
Each player will be available to teams until 1 PM CT on Sunday.
Jordan Gross Clears Waivers; Reassigned To AHL
March 28: Gross has cleared waivers and was reassigned to the minor leagues.
March 27: The Nashville Predators have waived defenseman Jordan Gross, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Monday afternoon.
The move could signal that Roman Josi, who’s been out of the lineup since March 18, is close to returning. He’s listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Players returning from injuries is one of the few reasons why a player would land on waivers post-trade deadline, given the absence of the normal 23-player roster limit. But with their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, near the top of their division, Nashville is carrying a trim roster in an effort to bolster their minor league club.
Gross, a 27-year-old product of Minnesota, has three goals in 15 games with the Predators this season. In Milwaukee, he leads the team’s defensemen in scoring despite seeing many days on the NHL roster, recording eight goals and 23 assists in 45 games.
Gross is expected to clear waivers, as he would be ineligible to play for any team in the playoffs or during the brief remainder of the regular season.
Nashville Predators Recall Jordan Gross
With captain Roman Josi out day-to-day with an upper-body injury, the team has recalled defenseman Jordan Gross from the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals.
This is Gross’ third recall of the season, per CapFriendly, and his first since the calendar turned to 2023. In 10 games with Nashville across his previous two recalls, he recorded three goals and averaged 18:48 of ice time.
Gross joined the Predators organization last offseason, inking a two-year deal after he recorded over a point per game with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. He hasn’t hit that offensive mark in the minors this year, but he does have a strong 31 points in 45 games for Milwaukee.
The undrafted 27-year-old is expected to step into a top-four role tonight for Nashville. Additional injuries to Ryan McDonagh and Alexandre Carrier are stretching their defensive depth to the limit.
Of note, Gross’ contract is set to convert from a two-way deal to a one-way deal next season. With Nashville’s retool in full swing after a series of trade deadline moves, Gross is an outside candidate to play a more significant role with the Preds next season.
Ryan McDonagh To Return For Predators; Jordan Gross Sent To AHL
Dec 21: McDonagh has now been officially activated from injured reserve and will play tonight.
Dec 20: After staying up with the Nashville Predators on an emergency loan for more than two weeks, Jordan Gross has been returned to the AHL. The team had recalled him when moving Ryan McDonagh to injured reserve, and he played seven games since then.
With McDonagh returning tomorrow night against the Chicago Blackhawks and Alexandre Carrier getting back in the lineup last night, Gross is no longer needed at the NHL level.
The 33-year-old McDonagh has been out since December 2 after taking a puck to the face and is practicing with a full cage as he gets ready to return. The two-time Stanley Cup champion was averaging more than 20 minutes for the Predators when he went down, and had recorded six assists in 23 games.
While he is no longer the two-way force that dominated for the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning in his prime, McDonagh is still a very capable defender that should only strengthen a Predators team coming off a statement win over the Edmonton Oilers last night.
Coincidentally, Gross actually scored his third NHL goal in that game, as three of the four tallies from Nashville were from their defense. The 27-year-old will likely be back up at some point, should the team face any further injuries from this point.
Ryan McDonagh Placed On Injured Reserve
One of the trades that probably didn’t get as much attention as it should have this offseason was one that sent Ryan McDonagh to the Nashville Predators. Essentially a salary dump by the Tampa Bay Lightning, the 33-year-old defenseman was acquired for almost nothing, despite being one of the most experienced postseason players in the league.
Though it got off to a rocky start, the Predators-McDonagh partnership has been strong of late, resulting in a 7-2-1 record in their last ten. Unfortunately, things will stop there, at least for a little while. McDonagh has been placed on injured reserve and is expected to miss two to four weeks. Jordan Gross has been recalled in his place.
McDonagh is dealing with an upper-body injury, taking more than 20 minutes per night out of the Nashville lineup. The veteran was facing all of the top competition and logging heavy defensive deployment, while anchoring the team’s penalty kill.
Without him, even more responsibility will likely be placed on Mattias Ekholm, in order to keep Roman Josi free to deliver offensive results. In Friday’s game, when McDonagh left early, Alexandre Carrier also saw a season-high 21:39, a good sign that he will be leaned on heavily in the interim.
Predators Recall Juuso Parssinen, Assign Jordan Gross To AHL
Juuso Parssinen’s strong start in the minors has earned him his first NHL opportunity as the team announced that they’ve recalled the forward from AHL Milwaukee. To make room for him on the roster, the Predators assigned defenseman Jordan Gross to the Admirals.
Parssinen is in his first full season in North America after getting a taste of AHL action late last season when he played in nine games during Milwaukee’s playoff run. The 21-year-old is tied for third in scoring for the Admirals with two goals and seven assists through his first ten games which is certainly appealing to a Nashville squad that has averaged just 2.71 goals per contest through their first 14 games this season while sitting 29th in power play percentage.
As for Gross, his demotion is a bit of a curious one. It’s not for a lack of production, as the 27-year-old has two goals in three games with the Preds this season while picking up seven points in six contests with Milwaukee. The move also leaves Nashville with just six healthy blueliners and 15 forwards on their active roster, a combination teams don’t like to stick with for long. Accordingly, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Gross or another defender recalled in the coming days with a forward going down to balance things out a little.
Nashville Predators Recall Jordan Gross
The Nashville Predators have recalled defenseman Jordan Gross from the AHL, giving them an extra body as they head out on a five-game road trip. To make room, the team has moved Mark Borowiecki to injured reserve.
Borowiecki last played on October 22, when he suffered a scary injury that saw him stretchered off the ice. He was discharged from the hospital later that night and was deemed to have “no major issues.” Given that his IR placement will be retroactive to that game, he can be activated whenever he is healthy enough to return.
Gross, meanwhile, comes up as an emergency option that likely isn’t going to get much playing time. The Predators still have six other defensemen on the roster, and the 27-year-old doesn’t have much experience at the NHL level. Undrafted, Gross was a free agent signing in 2018 by the Arizona Coyotes and has played ten games in the NHL, recording four points.
Still, he did win the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s best defenseman last season, after putting up 65 points in 61 games. The Predators also rewarded him with a two-year contract that will be one-way in 2023-24, suggesting that they see him as a legitimate depth piece that could play games if necessary.
21 Players Clear Waivers
Oct 5: The Minnesota Wild claimed Pitlick from the Nashville Predators, but the other 21 players have cleared and can now be assigned to the minor leagues if necessary.
Oct 4: The waiver list for October 4 is out, and it includes another 22 players that have been cut from their respective NHL teams. The full list is as follows:
Alexander True (SEA)
Carsen Twarynski (SEA)
Pheonix Copley (WSH)
Matt Luff (NSH)
Cole Smith (NSH)
Rem Pitlick (NSH)
Matt Tennyson (NSH)
Frederic Allard (NSH)
Jordan Gross (COL)
Austin Poganski (WPG)
Luke Johnson (WPG)
Mikey Eyssimont (WPG)
Michael Carcone (ARI)
Tyler Sikura (CBJ)
Brendan Gaunce (CBJ)
Jean-Francois Berube (CBJ)
Gavin Bayreuther (CBJ)
Nicholas Caamano (DAL)
John Stevens (VAN)
Devante Stephens (VAN)
Spencer Martin (VAN)
Sheldon Rempal (VAN)
There are several names on this list that could be claimed, including both players from the Seattle Kraken. The pair of forwards were each part of the team’s expansion draft, selected from the San Jose Sharks and Philadelphia Flyers respectively. While both seemed like odd decisions at the time, this may have been the plan all along; acquire some young players who are capable of playing in the NHL, but who could also slip through waivers before the season begins in order to have some injury insurance in the minor leagues.
Other names, like Copley, could potentially be targeted as an extra goaltender by those clubs currently dealing with some injuries in net.
Avalanche Signs Jordan Gross
Colorado has added some depth on the back end, announcing the signing of defenseman Jordan Gross to a one-year contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed but Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports (Twitter links) that it’s a two-way agreement that pays $750K at the NHL level.
The 26-year-old was up with the Coyotes for all of last season but spent the majority of his time on the taxi squad before suffering a lower-body injury which cost him the final 14 games. As a result, he only got into seven games with Arizona where he managed to pick up three assists. With his age and lack of NHL experience (just nine career appearances), that qualified him for Group Six unrestricted free agency this summer.
Gross had been a productive piece from the back end with AHL Tucson in his first two professional campaigns, notching 25 and 27 points with the Roadrunners and it’s likely that element that drew interest from Colorado. He’s likely to start the season in the minors but since he does have a little bit of offensive upside, Gross will be a candidate to be recalled whenever injuries arise.