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Predators Place Marc Del Gaizo On Waivers

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The Nashville Predators have placed defenseman Marc Del Gaizo on waivers per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Del Gaizo has cleared through waivers once already this year, joining the long list of players to be waived and assigned to the minors before the season started.

Del Gaizo was recalled a few times in October but received a call that’d stick on October 30th. He’s stepped into 20 of Nashville’s 23 games since then, recording three assists, a -1, 28 blocked shots, and 32 hits. The appearances officially cement this season as Del Gaizo’s rookie year, after he played in nine games last season. He recorded a surprisingly similar stat line in those appearances as well – ending the 2023-24 NHL season with three assists, a +2, and 20 hits. Del Gaizo’s impact has been much clearer in the minor leagues. He has been a proud member of the Milwaukee Admirals blue-line since the 2021-22 season, after starting his pro career with a brief, nine-game stint with the Chicago Wolves in 2020-21. In total, he has recorded 89 points, 114 penalty minutes, and a +11 in 209 games and five seasons in the minor leagues.

Del Gaizo’s waiving suggests that one of Nashville’s many injured defenders could return soon. The team is currently without superstar Roman Josi, lineup pillars Jeremy Lauzon and Alexandre Carrier, and depth defender Spencer Stastney. Lauzon and Josi are both listed as day-to-day and both participated in Nashville’s practice on Tuesday. Stastney and Carrier are on injured reserve and would need to be activated to rejoin the lineup.

Devils Activate Curtis Lazar, Justin Dowling Clears Waivers

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12/18: Dowling has cleared waivers and been assigned to the minor leagues, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

12/17: The Devils announced that they’ve activated Curtis Lazar from injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game against the Blues. The team placed Justin Dowling on waivers in a corresponding move, although they already had the roster spot necessary to activate Lazar, so Dowling’s pending reassignment or claim will keep their active roster count at 22.

It’s a much quicker return to action than most expected for Lazar. The 29-year-old sustained a knee injury on Oct. 27 against the Ducks that required surgery. The team said he didn’t have a timeline for a return, hinting that it could be a couple of months or more until he laced up the skates again. Instead, he’s back just over six weeks later with a relatively quick run-up time, considering he only started skating in the past couple of days (at least in terms of public knowledge).

Lazar has been a good fourth-line piece for the Devils since they acquired him from the Canucks at the 2023 trade deadline. He’s scored eight goals and 27 points in 87 regular-season games since becoming a Devil, two of which have come in 12 games this season. He’s bounced between center and wing, winning 48.3% of his draws, and the Devils have controlled 47.5% of shot attempts with Lazar on the ice at even strength.

New Jersey, whose roster is at full health for the first time since Lazar exited the lineup, will have him center their fourth line tonight between Tomáš Tatar and Nathan Bastian, the latter of whom recently returned from jaw surgery. The first-round pick of the Senators back in 2013 recorded a career-high 25 points in a similar role for the Devils last season.

For the most part, Dowling has covered directly for Lazar during his absence. The 34-year-old started the season in AHL Utica after clearing waivers but was recalled in the days following Lazar’s injury. He’s played in every Devils game since, posting two goals and an assist in 21 appearances while averaging 8:30 per game. The 5’10” pivot won 47.4% of his faceoffs and recorded eight blocks and 16 hits.

Dowling is in his second season as a Devil since signing in Newark as a free agent in 2023. He had two goals and two assists in six games with Utica before his recall. He finished fifth on the AHL club in scoring last season with 40 points in 57 games.

Wild’s Devin Shore Clears Waivers

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Dec. 17: Shore cleared waivers, Friedman reports. He’ll remain on the Wild’s roster for now, adds Michael Russo of The Athletic.

Dec. 16: The Minnesota Wild have placed forward Devin Shore on waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The move was alluded to by Michael Russo of The Athletic earlier today. It will create more room for Minnesota to find a productive depth forward as they look to fill-in for the injured Jakub Lauko.

Shore has played in 12 NHL games this season but hasn’t recorded any scoring or penalties. The only changes to his stat line has come in the form of a +1, seven blocked shots, and 17 hits. Shore is one of five Wild forwards to play in multiple games with no scoring, joining a group that includes top prospect Liam Ohgren and Iowa Wild scoring leader Travis Boyd.

The scoring drought in Minnesota is a crater for Shore, after declining productivity in each of the last three seasons. A fourth-line forward wherever he goes, Shore recorded 11 points in 49 games with the Edmonton Oilers in 2021-22, but followed it up with just nine points in 47 games the following year. He attempted to spur that downward trend with a move to Seattle last season, but he ended up with just four points in 21 games with the Kraken – and spent most of the year in the minor leagues. Still, his AHL scoring was promising – 25 points in 39 games – and Shore once again tried to spur things with a team-change. He signed a one-year, league-minimum contract with Minnesota this summer, and had to work his way up to the NHL roster after starting in the minors. He managed that quickly, with 10 points in 14 games with Iowa – but has since hit a complete stall. This waiver placement should set him up to rediscover his scoring, and better plan for ways to translate it to Minnesota’s fourth-line when he’s next called upon.

This is the seventh waiver placement of Shore’s career, and his second of the season. Despite playing for six different teams in his 10-year career, Shore hasn’t once been claimed off of waivers.

Islanders Recall Pierre Engvall, Place Semyon Varlamov On IR

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Sunday: According to Andrew Gross of Newsday Sports, the Islanders have recalled Engvall back to the NHL, making the waiver process a bit of a formality. New York won’t have to place Engvall on waivers for another 30 days giving the organization some added flexibility. Gross also shares that the team has placed goaltender Semyon Varlamov, who’s missed the last eight games with a lower-body injury, on injured reserve retroactive to November 29th.

Saturday: Engvall cleared waivers, Friedman reports.  When he’s re-assigned to Bridgeport, they will free up a pro-rated $1.15MM in cap space.  As for Wahlstrom, he was claimed by Boston.

Friday: The Islanders have placed wingers Pierre Engvall and Oliver Wahlstrom on waivers for the purposes of assignment to AHL Bridgeport, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

After the Isles clear their roster spots tomorrow, they’ll have increased flexibility to activate their trio of injured skaters – Mathew Barzal, Anthony Duclair and Adam Pelech – from injured reserve. All three have practiced this week without a non-contact designation.

Engvall thus ends up on the wire for the second time this season. The 28-year-old tumbled down the Islanders’ depth chart during training camp and ended up on waivers before opening night rosters were due. After he managed 10 goals and 28 points in 74 games last season, it was no surprise to see him pass through unclaimed with a whopping six years and $18MM left on the seven-year deal he signed to remain on Long Island in 2023. As such, the likelihood of him being claimed this time remains slim.

In his 20-game call-up since being summoned in place of Duclair in October, Engvall has three goals and six points with a -3 rating. He’s been a healthy scratch three times in the last seven games, so it’s unsurprising to see him being one of the odd ones out to make way for their stars’ return. Waiving him also offers them the most significant possible financial benefit, which is an important consideration as they must navigate cap compliance while activating Barzal and Duclair from LTIR. They won’t be able to bury all of Engvall’s $3MM cap hit in the minors, but they will be able to shed a total of $2.15MM in cap hits combined between him and Wahlstrom.

In six games with Bridgeport in October, Engvall had just one goal. It was his first AHL action since the 2019-20 campaign as a member of the Maple Leafs organization.

Wahlstrom has been the less productive of the pair this season. While the Islanders avoided exposing the 2018 11th overall pick to waivers for as long as possible, there’s no better time than now. The 24-year-old Maine native has just two goals and four points in 27 games this season, averaging a career-low 10:04 per game.

A restricted free agent last summer, the Islanders came to terms on a one-year, $1MM deal for Wahlstrom before his scheduled arbitration hearing. Unfortunately, that choice precipitated Wahlstrom’s worst showing yet as an NHLer. While his offensive production never jumped off the page like they’d hoped, he was at least a semi-effective physical presence. He hasn’t been that at all this season, logging only seven hits in 27 games – his first time averaging under one per game. He also has an abysmal 38% shot attempt share at even strength and a 33.3% expected goals share, creating an argument for Wahlstrom as one of the least valuable skaters in the league.

Now in his sixth NHL season, Wahlstrom may be too far along in his development to be considered a legitimate bounce-back candidate with a change of scenery. Nonetheless, the former electric scoring threat in juniors may have at least one taker on the waiver wire as his $1MM cap hit is fully buriable in the minors if he doesn’t work out.

Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Bruins Claim Oliver Wahlstrom Off Waivers From Islanders

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Amidst some offensive struggles, the Bruins have added some depth up front.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that Boston has claimed winger Oliver Wahlstrom off waivers from the Islanders.

It has been a bit of a tumultuous tenure for Wahlstrom and the Isles in recent years.  The 24-year-old was the 11th overall pick back in 2018 after showing plenty of offensive promise with the US National Team Development Program.  He opted to turn pro after just one year at Boston College and the hope was that he’d become a reliable offensive player for New York before too long.

However, that never really came to fruition.  Wahlstrom’s NHL career got off to a good start in 2020-21 when he picked up 12 goals and nine assists in 44 games in the shortened season.  He followed that up with 13 goals and 11 helpers in 73 games the following season, a small uptick in overall production but a notable drop in points per game.  He was somewhat productive in limited action in 2022-23 when he had 16 points in 35 games but things went off the rails last year when he was a frequent healthy scratch and collected just six points in 32 games.

That led to some speculation that the two sides could be parting ways, a belief that carried over to the summer.  Instead, the two sides worked out a one-year, $1MM contract in late July.  However, while Wahlstrom was largely able to secure a regular role in New York’s lineup this season, his playing time and production have both been limited.  His 10:04 ATOI is a career low while he has just two goals and two assists in 27 appearances, leading to his waiver placement on Friday.

It’s a low-risk pickup for the Bruins who have just enough cap space to absorb Wahlstrom’s contract without needing to make any other roster moves.  If things go well, they’ll be able to keep him under club control for two more years although he will be arbitration-eligible.  Boston is now at the maximum of 23 players on its active roster.

Jets, Henri Nikkanen Mutually Terminate Contract

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Dec. 13: Nikkanen cleared waivers and has had his contract terminated, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. He has signed a two-year deal with SaiPa of the Finnish Liiga.

Dec. 12: The Jets announced that they’ve placed forward prospect Henri Nikkanen on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract.

Nikkanen, 23, will assumedly head back to his native Finland or elsewhere in Europe if he clears. It hasn’t been the smoothest of runs for the 6’5″ pivot, who’s actually spent quite a bit of time in North America. He’s suited up exclusively for Winnipeg’s AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, since signing his entry-level contract at the end of the 2021-22 season and coming over to Canada.

Despite some good offensive production in the Finnish junior system and some good flashes in the pro-level Liiga, Nikkanen’s point totals with the Moose never got off the ground. The left-shot center has totaled only 13 goals and 19 assists for 32 points in 140 contests with the Moose. This season, he’s only played in 13 of 21 games and has been limited to a goal and three assists.

Nikkanen is in the final season of his entry-level contract and was set to be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights at season’s end. Assuming he clears, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent tomorrow and the Jets will lose his NHL rights.

Winnipeg will free up a contract slot with the move, bringing their total deals to 41 out of the 50-contract limit.

Sharks Mutually Terminate Valtteri Pulli’s Contract

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Dec. 12: No one claimed Pulli on waivers, indicating his contract with the Sharks has been terminated. The Sharks now have two open contract slots.

Dec. 11: The Sharks announced Wednesday that they placed defenseman Valtteri Pulli on unconditional waivers for mutual contract termination.

“Valtteri requested to play in Europe, and we mutually agreed to terminate his contract,” said Sharks assistant general manager Joe Will. “We want to thank Valtteri for his contributions to the organization and wish him all the best.”

San Jose signed Pulli, now 23, as an undrafted free agent out of Finland’s TPS in 2023. They were one of a few NHL teams that had interest in bringing him over from Europe, beating out the Bruins, Canucks, Islanders, Penguins, Predators, and Jets, Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek (then of Sportsnet) reported at the time.

However, Pulli has spent the entirety of his entry-level contract on assignment to the AHL with the San Jose Barracuda. The 6’6″, 209-lb lefty was limited to 10 points and a -8 rating in 59 appearances last season and has barely played in 2024-25, serving as a scratch for all but two of the Baby Sharks’ 21 games.

Pulli was set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season and was highly unlikely to receive a qualifying offer, so he could have tested the open market then and returned to Europe. Instead, the Sharks will part ways with him a few months early, allowing Pulli to finish the season overseas. A return to the Liiga with TPS, where he had 19 points and a +7 rating in 82 games from 2020-21 to 2022-23, seems likely.

While unlikely, any of the NHL’s 31 other teams could acquire Pulli for the rest of the season if they place a claim before 1:00 pm CT tomorrow.

Utah Claims Dakota Mermis Off Waivers From Maple Leafs

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The Utah Hockey Club has added some veteran defensive depth in the form of Dakota Mermis, plucking him off the waiver wire from the Maple Leafs, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The Leafs’ other waiver placement yesterday, winger Alexander Nylander, passed through unclaimed and was immediately assigned to AHL Toronto, allowing them to activate defenseman Jake McCabe from injured reserve, according to a team announcement.

Utah has been in need of extra bodies on defense seemingly all season long after John Marino sustained a lower-back injury in preseason and Sean Durzi hurt his shoulder just four games into the campaign. Other names, such as Maveric Lamoureux and Robert Bortuzzo, have landed on the shelf in recent days, leading Utah to reach deep into its minor-league depth. Just yesterday, they recalled Kevin Connauton from AHL Tucson – a 34-year-old lefty who last saw NHL ice in the 2021-22 campaign.

Mermis isn’t a gigantic upgrade over internal options like Connauton, but he does have more recent NHL experience. The 30-year-old skated in a career-high 47 games with the Wild last season, posting eight points, a -2 rating, 33 PIMs, and 45 hits while averaging 14:05 per game. He inked a one-way contract with the Maple Leafs over the summer but sustained a jaw injury in training camp. He returned to action on a conditioning loan with their AHL affiliate over the past couple weeks, posting an assist in three outings, and had landed on waivers to continue his tenure in the minors after the two-week limit on his conditioning stint ran out.

Utah had 22 players on the active roster before making the claim for Mermis, so they won’t need to make a corresponding transaction.

Oilers Place Travis Dermott On Waivers

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The Oilers have placed defenseman Travis Dermott on waivers and will assign him to AHL Bakersfield if he clears, per a club announcement Thursday.

A second-round pick of the Maple Leafs back in 2015, Dermott became an unrestricted free agent last summer after additional stops with the Canucks and Coyotes in the past few seasons. After posting seven points and a -14 rating in 50 appearances in Arizona last season, though, there wasn’t notable interest on the open market, and he had to wait until late in the summer to ink a tryout agreement with Edmonton. He was at least able to parlay a strong training camp into a contract, inking a two-way deal ($775K/$500K) on the opening day of the regular season.

While he played in the Oilers’ first three games of the season, he’s failed to establish himself as a regular in the lineup. He has no points and a -3 rating in 10 appearances this season and has been a scratch in eight straight outings dating back to Nov. 19. After the Oilers claimed the younger Alec Regula off waivers from the Bruins yesterday, it was apparent that Dermott’s job as the No. 7 option on Edmonton’s back end might be in jeopardy.

As a player on a two-way deal without a deal past this season, there might be some interest in Dermott’s 339 games of NHL experience on the waiver wire. If not, though, he’ll head to Bakersfield for his first non-conditioning AHL assignment in six years.

Maple Leafs Place Dakota Mermis, Alexander Nylander On Waivers

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The Maple Leafs placed defenseman Dakota Mermis and winger Alexander Nylander on waivers Wednesday for assignment to AHL Toronto, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Mermis’ waiver placement comes after being presumably activated from long-term injured reserve. The 30-year-old lefty has been on a conditioning loan to the AHL since Nov. 27 and has played three games, notching an assist and a +2 rating.

Those games were his first action since sustaining a broken jaw early in training camp with the Leafs. The longtime depth piece for the Coyotes, Devils, and Wild underwent surgery on Sep. 26 and has provided a small amount of cap relief for Toronto since landing on LTIR at the beginning of the regular season.

Mermis landing on waivers removes his $775K cap hit from the Maple Leafs’ LTIR pool, bringing down their current cap space to $765K. That can increase back to the $1MM range tomorrow after Nylander clears waivers or is claimed by another team.

Mermis, an Illinois native, played in a career-high 47 NHL contests with Minnesota last season, posting eight points and a -2 rating while averaging 14:05 per game. He parlayed that performance into the first one-way contract of his career, albeit a league-minimum one, with Toronto on the open market over the summer.

Save for additional injuries on Toronto’s back end, though, his jaw injury likely cost Mermis a chance at NHL ice in a Leafs organization that shored up their defensive depth in a big way over the offseason. Assuming he clears waivers, he’ll likely spend most of the season in the AHL, where he’s played 434 of his 513 professional games.

Meanwhile, Nylander hits the wire after having his AHL contract torn up and replaced by an NHL commitment on Nov. 22. The 26-year-old got the summons from the minors amid a rash of forward injuries for the Maple Leafs that’s largely cleared up with Auston Matthews, Max Domi, Matthew Knies, and Max Pacioretty all returning from injuries in the past week or so.

The younger brother of Toronto star William Nylander made five NHL appearances for Toronto but did not record a point. He also had a -1 rating and averaged just 9:53 per game. Before the call-up, he had eight goals and 12 points in 14 AHL games.

Despite the lack of production, there may be some interest in his services on the waiver wire after he ended last season with 11 goals in 23 games for the Blue Jackets. The 2016 eighth-overall pick by the Sabres has 25 goals and 49 points in 126 NHL appearances in parts of seven seasons, and claiming him would require no long-term commitment – he’ll be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

Getting Nylander off the active roster one way or another tomorrow will allow the Leafs to activate one of their few IR-bound players, likely winger Bobby McMann or defenseman Jake McCabe.

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