Carolina Hurricanes Claim Brandon Bussi
The Carolina Hurricanes have claimed netminder Brandon Bussi off of waivers from the Florida Panthers, according to a team announcement. The Hurricanes also announced a corresponding move, placing goalie Cayden Primeau on waivers for the purposes of reassignment to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.
On paper the Hurricanes’ NHL tandem of Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov appears set in stone, and makes this move something of a surprise. It’s possible the Hurricanes made this claim with an eye to goaltending depth in the AHL, but with Primeau already in place as the organizational number-three (assuming he clears waivers) there doesn’t appear to be a significant need to add Bussi.
As a result, at this point, the clearest explanation for this waiver claim is that it is insurance, similar to how the Sabres signed Alexandar Georgiev before an injury to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was ever reported.
With that said, in the case that there is not an un-reported injury that prompted this waiver claim, there is another potential explanation that relates to the current state of the Hurricanes’ goalie depth:
Taking a wider-view look at the Hurricanes’ situation in net overall, the situation behind Primeau in Chicago (assuming he clears waivers) is somewhat more wide open. The Wolves currently roster three goalies below Primeau on the depth chart: Ruslan Khazheyev, Amir Miftakhov, and Nikita Quapp. The trio, combined, have just 42 games worth of AHL experience, and just one Khazheyev, played in the AHL last season. (.876 save percentage in 20 games played)
Quapp, 22, spent 2024-25 with Düsseldorf in the German DEL, and is entering his first pro season in North America. Miftakhov, 25, was stellar in 2024-25 with the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan (.927 save percentage in 30 games) but has not played in North America since his 2021-22 split between the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch and ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears.
So, with that in mind, the reasoning behind this waiver claim becomes a bit clearer. Assuming there is no at-this-point unreported injury to either of the two Hurricanes’ starters, and assuming the Hurricanes do not have an appetite to carry three goalies on their roster for an extended period (they’ll need to because of this claim, at least for Monday), it seems as though Bussi could end up on waivers at some point in the short-term future.
If this waiver claim was indeed made with an eye to reinforcing the Wolves due to the trio of young goalies’ relative inexperience at the AHL level, it is understandable that the club would elect to claim Bussi. As things currently stand, the Hurricanes are one claim of Primeau, or one Primeau injury, from having to rely on that aforementioned trio to provide all of the goaltending for AHL Chicago. While it’s possible one (or more) of that trio is more than up to the task of playing a heavy workload without much prior AHL experience, the Hurricanes can’t be blamed if they have some uneasiness considering that prospect.
So, with this claim of Bussi, they have given themselves an opportunity to protect Chicago from that potential scenario. The 27-year-old Bussi is an ideal candidate for this kind of waiver claim for multiple reasons. First and foremost, he has no NHL experience, so he would not be the kind of goalie a team in need of NHL reinforcement in net would be expected to claim. That increases the odds Bussi will pass through waivers should the Hurricanes attempt to send him down.
Additionally, the Florida Panthers’ AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, are still left with four netminders under contract after Bussi’s claim. Although none of Cooper Black, Kirill Gerasimyuk, Evan Cormier, or Michael Simpson are particularly experienced at the AHL level, the sheer volume of netminders set to compete for a role in the crease in Charlotte would, theoretically, decrease the odds that Florida will try to re-claim Bussi should Carolina try to sneak him through waivers.
If one of those goalies has been particularly impressive in the training camp/preseason process and looks poised to steal a greater role in the AHL than the Panthers previously expected, those odds of a re-claim from the Panthers would decrease further still.
Bussi’s stellar performance in the AHL thus far in his career (.915 save percentage across 111 games) does complicate those odds, but if the Hurricanes have room to keep him on their NHL roster through Monday, it may be worth the chance of trying to place him back on waivers in order to reinforce Chicago. Based on their claim today, it appears the Hurricanes might agree.
This entire AHL explanation could be rendered meaningless if one of the Hurricanes’ NHL goalies is injured, of course, or if the Hurricanes surprisingly decide they want to carry three goalies.
Waivers: 10/4/25
With a little over 48 hours remaining before season-opening rosters need to be submitted to the league, it’s expected to be a very busy weekend on the waiver wire. Not surprisingly, it’s another big list of players on waivers today as 17 players have been put there, per PuckPedia. Meanwhile, all 12 players on waivers yesterday passed through unclaimed, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Here’s today’s list of players on the wire:
Dallas Stars
F Cameron Hughes
D Vladislav Kolyachonok
Florida Panthers
D Tobias Bjornfot
G Brandon Bussi
New Jersey Devils
F Thomas Bordeleau
F Angus Crookshank
F Brian Halonen
F Zack MacEwen
D Colton White
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
D Alexander Alexeyev
D Ryan Graves
F Rafael Harvey-Pinard
F Bokondji Imama
F Samuel Poulin
San Jose Sharks
Utah Hockey Club
Graves is the headliner in today’s class, primarily due to his contract which has four years left on it. We covered his situation in more detail earlier today.
Among the rest of the players, Bjornfot is no stranger to being in this situation but he has been claimed twice before. He spent most of last season in the minors with Florida but did get into 14 games with the Panthers and has 134 games at the top level under his belt. Alexeyev played sparingly last season with Washington not wanting to risk losing him for nothing on waivers but it appears that Pittsburgh doesn’t have that same level of hesitance. Meanwhile, Kolyachonok was claimed off waivers by the Penguins back in February before being flipped to Dallas over the summer so it’s possible another team might have their eye on him as well. Gilbert signed with the Flyers this summer after splitting last season between Ottawa and Buffalo but while the thought was that he’d at least be able to land a seventh role, that isn’t the case.
As for the forwards, San Jose’s White is by far the most experienced with 323 NHL appearances. However, he has primarily been an AHL player in recent years and it’s likely that he will clear and be assigned to the Barracuda. Poulin was a 2019 first-round pick but hasn’t seen much time with the Penguins, including just seven games last season. But at 24, he’s young enough to potentially be of interest to a team that wants to take a longer look at him. Bordeleau held his own in 27 games with the Sharks in 2023-24 but only played once for them last season before being moved in July in a swap of AHL players. But like Poulin, he’s young enough (23) to potentially draw attention.
These players will be on waivers until 1:00 PM CT on Sunday.
Penguins To Waive Ryan Graves
The Penguins announced (Twitter link) a significant list of cuts today as they work towards getting their season-opening roster in place. Among those are five waiver placements, headed up by veteran defenseman Ryan Graves who will officially hit the wire at 1 PM CT today.
It wasn’t that long ago that the 30-year-old was viewed as a key shutdown defender. Over his two seasons with New Jersey, he went from being a role player (going back to his Colorado days) to a consistent top-four player. That helped earn him a six-year, $27MM contract with Pittsburgh back in 2023 as they were hoping that he could be a defensive anchor for them for a long time.
That hasn’t happened. In the first season of the deal, his offensive numbers dipped to just three goals and 11 assists after two straight years of at least 26 points. On top of that, he struggled in Pittsburgh’s defensive system and started to see his ice time cut later in the year.
That proved to be a sign of things to come for last season. Instead of showing improvement in his second year with the team, things continued to go in the wrong direction. As a result, Graves only got into 61 games (managing just four points) while averaging less than 15 minutes per night as he was deployed as a number-six defender when he was in the lineup.
That led to some speculative talk about a buyout this summer which clearly didn’t come to fruition. However, with the acquisitions of Connor Clifton and Mathew Dumba in trades over the offseason plus a strong training camp from prospect Harrison Brunicke, there simply isn’t a spot for Graves on their opening roster.
Given his recent struggles and the fact that he has four years left on his contract, it’s safe to say that Graves will pass through unclaimed on Sunday and be assigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. From there, he can try to rebuild some confidence and try to work his way back to Pittsburgh. But few would have seen this coming just two years ago when he was given one of the bigger deals in free agency.
Joining Graves on the waiver wire from today’s moves are defenseman Alexander Alexeyev along with forwards Rafael Harvey-Pinard, Bokondji Imama, and Samuel Poulin.
Waivers: 10/3/25
Twelve new names are on Friday’s waiver list, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports relays. Out of the 22 names waived yesterday, three were claimed: Daemon Hunt heads from Columbus to Minnesota, Cole Schwindt from Vegas to Florida, and Ilya Solovyov from Calgary to Colorado.
Today’s placements are as follows:
Boston Bruins
F Patrick Brown
D Michael Callahan
F Georgii Merkulov
D Victor Söderström
F Riley Tufte
Carolina Hurricanes
Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Maple Leafs
F David Kämpf
D William Villeneuve
Utah Mammoth
Vancouver Canucks
Washington Capitals
Panthers Claim Cole Schwindt Off Waivers From Golden Knights
The Panthers have claimed forward Cole Schwindt off waivers from the Golden Knights, PuckPedia reports.
Schwindt, 24, begins his second go-around with the Panthers organization. Florida drafted him in the third round in 2019, and he made his NHL debut for them a few years later before getting included in 2022’s Jonathan Huberdeau/Matthew Tkachuk blockbuster trade with Calgary. He stuck with the Flames organization for two more years, but only played four games for them before he was lost on waivers to the Golden Knights in preseason last year.
The Ontario native brings 49 games of NHL experience back to Sunrise, 42 of which came in a depth role with Vegas in 2024-25. His career 1-7–8 scoring line works out to 0.16 points per game and isn’t particularly inspiring. He’s only averaged 9:21 of ice time per game, though, and has produced reliable enough defensive results. In addition to recording 41 hits last year, he had a +3 rating and controlled 52.8% of even-strength expected goals despite a defense-oriented workload.
With Florida dealing with a difficult rash of injuries to their forward group, it’s sensible for them to bring back a familiar name. They still need to make a few cuts, and it’s not a guarantee he doesn’t end up back on waivers in the next two days, but he gives them an option with more recent NHL experience than Jack Studnicka, who’s still hanging around in camp and was projected as their 13th forward to start the year before Schwindt’s pickup. PTO invites Noah Gregor and Tyler Motte are still options to sign and potentially push Schwindt back onto waivers, though.
Avalanche Claim Ilya Solovyov
The Avalanche have acquired defenseman Ilya Solovyov from the Flames via waivers, according to PuckPedia.
Solovyov, 25, is in the second year of a two-year, $1.55MM contract with a $775K cap hit that he signed with Calgary as a restricted free agent in 2024. It carries a one-way structure this year, so even if the Avs managed to have him clear waivers and assign him to the minors, they’re on the hook for that full NHL salary. Solovyov skated in five of his 15 career NHL contests in 2024-25, posting an assist and eight blocks with 12 hits and a -3 rating while averaging 15:40 per game.
The 6’3″ Solovyov commands more intrigue because of his minor-league work with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers. The Belarusian rearguard is coming off a career-high 6-22–28 scoring line in 59 appearances for the Wranglers, along with a +8 rating. A seventh-round pick back in 2020, he brings four years of professional experience to the Colorado organization that includes an 18-51–69 scoring line with a +33 rating in 229 career AHL games.
Colorado is weak on left-side defensive depth with NHL upside, so it’s not unsurprising to see them make a claim and give Keaton Middleton some competition for the No. 7 job while also providing a backup option if righty Sam Malinski struggles to adjust to playing on his off side, as he’s projected to do alongside Brent Burns. All of Colorado’s projected extra forwards who remain in camp are waiver-exempt, so they could carry 13 forwards and eight defenders to start the year with Logan O’Connor on injured reserve. That would allow them to retain Solovyov and Middleton without risking losing either on waivers.
Wild Claim Daemon Hunt, Release Jack Johnson
The Wild have claimed defenseman Daemon Hunt off waivers from the Blue Jackets, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports. The club also released Jack Johnson from his professional tryout in a corresponding move and summoned the previously waived Matt Kiersted from AHL Iowa, although that’s a short-term move to give him more preseason action before being returned to the minors.
Today’s move marks a reunion between Hunt and the Wild, who drafted him in the third round of the 2020 draft. The 23-year-old has only ever suited up for Minnesota in the NHL, but he only played one game for them last year before he was included in the early-season trade that saw the Wild acquire David Jiricek from Columbus. This is his first year requiring waivers to head to the minors, where he spent the vast majority of last season.
Hunt, a 6’1″, 201-lb lefty, will begin his fourth professional campaign in a more familiar environment. Drafted as a true two-way defender, his results in AHL Cleveland after moving to the Blue Jackets organization weren’t what Columbus hoped for. He only managed a 2-12–14 scoring line with a -8 rating in 48 appearances after the trade. That offensive output was down significantly from what Hunt had in the Wild organization with Iowa the year prior, logging 29 points in 51 games on their blue line.
In his 13 prior NHL appearances with Minnesota, Hunt had one assist and a -1 rating while averaging a minuscule 11:14 per game. His possession numbers were good in those limited, albeit sheltered minutes, controlling 54.6% of shot attempts and 57.1% of expected goals at even strength.
As such, he’s now slated for an opening-night job with the Wild. With Johnson released, Hunt is one of seven healthy defenders remaining in Wild camp, not counting Kiersted. Jonas Brodin has long been expected to start the year on injured reserve after an offseason upper-body surgery, and that hasn’t changed.
Johnson, 38, will now look elsewhere to continue his career. The veteran of 19 NHL seasons and 1,228 games was reduced to a No. 7/8 job on the Blue Jackets’ depth chart last year, recording six assists and a -13 rating in 41 games. With that stat line as his platform, interest will be limited.
Waivers: 10/2/25
There are 22 new names on the waiver wire today, PuckPedia reports. Everyone on the wire yesterday passed through aside from goaltender Pheonix Copley, who’s heading to the Lightning from the Kings.
Calgary Flames
F Rory Kerins
G Ivan Prosvetov
D Ilya Solovyov
Columbus Blue Jackets
Edmonton Oilers
Pittsburgh Penguins
D Sebastian Aho
F Danton Heinen
D Philip Kemp
F Joona Koppanen
G Filip Larsson
F Valtteri Puustinen
Seattle Kraken
F Ben Meyers
F Mitchell Stephens
Utah Mammoth
F Ben McCartney
D Scott Perunovich
Vancouver Canucks
Vegas Golden Knights
D Dylan Coghlan
F Tanner Laczynski
F Raphael Lavoie
D Jaycob Megna
F Cole Schwindt
Heinen, Kerins, and Kravtsov jump out as the most notable skaters from the group. Heinen is one of the first veteran surprises to reach the wire this fall. The pending UFA costs $2.25MM against the cap and was a speculative trade candidate as the rebuilding Penguins look to shed their veterans on expiring deals. If he clears, he’ll still count for $1.1MM against Pittsburgh’s cap. It’s not as if he’s coming off a catastrophic 2024-25 season. He made 79 appearances split between the Canucks and Penguins, recording a 9-20–29 scoring line while averaging 13:27 per game. Those are all a few ticks below his career averages, but still serviceable bottom-six production for a reasonable price. He may not fit into the Penguins’ plans, but it wouldn’t be too surprising to see him claimed despite his cap impact.
Kerins has been a high-ceiling name in the Flames’ system for the past couple of years with quite strong AHL showings. He got his first taste of NHL action last year in a five-game call-up, looking like he belonged with four assists and a +3 rating while averaging 12:14 per game. The 5’10” pivot isn’t a natural fit in a fourth-line role, though, and Calgary doesn’t have an open spot for him in its top nine. He’s a pending RFA without arbitration rights on a two-way deal with a league minimum cap hit – prime conditions for a claim – and had 33 goals and 61 points in 63 AHL games last year.
Kravtsov not making it to the final couple of days of camp is a surprise. Selected No. 9 overall in 2018, he was on the Canucks’ reserve list after he departed the NHL to return to Russia in 2023. He had a great showing for Traktor Chelyabinsk in the Kontinental Hockey League last year, leading the team with 27 goals in 66 games while adding 31 assists for 58 points. That was enough to generate mutual interest between the Canucks and Kravtsov to resume their relationship, and he signed a one-year, two-way deal in August. He’s due to be a Group VI unrestricted free agent next summer if he doesn’t hit 16 NHL games this year.
As for goalie-needy teams, Prosvetov might warrant some consideration after being passed over for Calgary’s backup job in favor of Devin Cooley. The 26-year-old has 24 NHL starts under his belt and was excellent in the KHL last year, managing a .920 SV% and 2.32 GAA in 38 games for CSKA Moscow.
Lightning Claim Pheonix Copley Off Waivers From Kings
The Lightning have claimed goaltender Pheonix Copley off waivers from the Kings, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Copley, 33, had signed a one-year, one-way, league minimum extension with L.A. in June to continue serving as a No. 3/4 option for them this season. The longtime fringe NHLer has spent the last three years in the Kings organization, including a one-off 2022-23 campaign that saw him emerge as the Kings’ starter for a bit until Joonas Korpisalo was acquired at the trade deadline. Since recording a 24-6-3 record and .903 SV% in 37 appearances that year, though, the Alaska native has only nine NHL games to his name.
Part of the lack of playing time was due to an ACL injury that ended his 2023-24 season in December, but he’d already slipped to third on the Kings’ depth chart by that point after regressing to a .870 SV% through eight starts. He ended up on waivers at the beginning of last year and cleared, spending the vast majority of the season in AHL Ontario aside from making one early-season NHL relief appearance. The 6’4″ netminder was serviceable in the starting role for Ontario, making 42 appearances with a .904 SV%, 2.49 GAA, two shutouts, and a 24-17-1 record.
The Lightning, in need of goaltending depth, make sure he won’t clear waivers this time around. They’ve been dealing with limited availability from star starter Andrei Vasilevskiy in camp, although Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider reported today that he’s likely to make his preseason debut this weekend. Even if Vasilevskiy’s health wasn’t a concern, the Lightning were likely on the lookout for another depth option between the pipes.
They have one of the more underwhelming No. 2 options in the league in Jonas Johansson, who’s only managed a .892 SV% and 3.27 GAA behind a stout Tampa defense over the past two years. The backup position in Tampa hasn’t been much of a concern with Vasilevskiy shouldering a 60-start workload, but with the club looking to lighten the pressure on him this year, it makes sense to bring in another experienced option who might be an upgrade on Johansson.
Copley wasn’t going to be an NHL factor for the Kings unless injury struck their NHL tandem of Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg, although that’s a likely outcome given their histories. They have just four goalies signed in the organization without him, and one, 19-year-old Carter George, is still ineligible for a full-time AHL assignment and has already reported to OHL Owen Sound for the year. That leaves 25-year-old Erik Portillo, who struggled to the tune of a .889 SV% in 24 AHL contests last year, as their lone recall option. As such, expect a free-agent pickup or corresponding waiver claim to try to give them more insurance and more cushion for Portillo in the minors.
If the Lightning begin the season with three goalies, they’d only be able to carry two extra skaters instead of three. In any event, the claim doesn’t put them in any sort of cap bind. They’ll have the flexibility to open the season with a full 23-player roster with Nick Paul counting against the cap on injured reserve if they choose. Paul underwent surgery last month and is expected to make his season debut in early November.
Transaction Notes: Oilers, Ducks, Senators
As the preseason winds down and rosters take form, several teams have recalled players, having already cleared waivers, who are set to fill out NHL rosters before (most likely) being reassigned to their respective AHL clubs.
The Edmonton Oilers announced today that they recalled forwards Viljami Marjala, James Hamblin, and Connor Clattenburg from AHL Bakersfield in advance of tonight’s preseason tilt in Seattle.
Hamblin, an undrafted Edmonton native, proudly has 41 games under his belt for the Oil, but is expected to return to Bakersfield and continue to lead the Condors, in his sixth season with the team.
Other transactional notes from today:
- The Anaheim Ducks recalled Nathan Gaucher, Yegor Sidorov, and Calle Clang from AHL San Diego, per their announcement this afternoon. Gaucher, Anaheim’s first round choice in 2022 (22nd overall) headlines the group, likely looking to finally break out in the AHL this season, boasting an impressive frame at 6’3”. Clang, a goaltender, is likely back due to starter Lukáš Dostál’s injury.
- The Ottawa Senators updated today that they recalled a handful of players: Tyler Boucher, Hunter Shepard, Jorian Donovan, Oskar Pettersson, Xavier Bourgault, Tomas Hamara, Keean Washkurak, and Scott Harrington. Boucher and Bourgault are well known as former first round picks in 2021, who both face uphill battles to reach the NHL at this point in their careers. Harrington, a 32-year-old defenseman with 255 NHL games under his belt, recently joined the Belleville Senators on a PTO, having started camp on a tryout with Nashville, before being released.
Although none of the players are expected to remain with their NHL clubs by season’s start, it stands a chance for them to make an impression, and for fans to get to see some former notable prospects skate at the highest level.