Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Waivers

Evgeny Kuznetsov Clears Unconditional Waivers, Contract Terminated

at CDT | by 30 Comments

July 18: Kuznetsov has cleared unconditional waivers and has had his contract terminated, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. He’s now a UFA.

July 17: After multiple conflicting reports over the last several days, it appears Evgeny Kuznetsov’s time in the NHL is coming to an end for the foreseeable future. According to a team announcement, the Carolina Hurricanes have placed Kuznetsov on unconditional waivers for contract termination. Assuming that Kuznetsov clears waivers, it is expected he will return to Russia to play in the Kontinental Hockey League.

Although his landing spot in the KHL has not been announced, it is more than likely that Kuznetsov will end up with SKA St. Petersburg on a multi-year agreement according to prior reporting yesterday. SKA St. Petersburg is the current home of former NHL players Alex Galchenyuk, Brendan Leipsic, and Valentin Zykov while also being the home of the recent fifth overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft, Ivan Demidov.

According to PuckPedia, Kuznetsov will walk away from $6MM by mutually terminating his contract while his separate $3.9MM cap hits with the Hurricanes and Washington Capitals will be lifted from both team’s salary cap structures. Kuznetsov was due a $2MM signing bonus on July 1st as part of his contract which has already been paid out.

Kuznetsov was the 26th overall selection of the Capitals in the 2010 NHL Draft and he made his debut a few years later in the 2013-14 NHL season. He got off to a relatively slow start during his freshman and sophomore campaigns in the NHL but became one of the game’s top centers only a year later. Kuznetsov scored 20 goals and 77 points in 82 games for Washington in the 2013-14 regular season while finishing 19th in Hart Trophy voting.

He became a steady playmaker for the Capitals during the organization’s most successful run in their history. The Russian forward scored 119 goals and 373 points over 420 games in Washington from 2016-2022 while leading the playoffs in assists (20) and points (32) during the team’s run to a Stanley Cup championship in 2018. Unfortunately, due to numerous off-ice issues and a stint in the NHLPA Player Assistance Program, it became apparent that Kuznetsov had a lack of desire to continue playing in Washington as his on-ice production suffered.

The Capitals moved on from Kuznetsov this past trade deadline by dealing him to the Hurricanes for a draft pick and retaining 50% of his salary. Kuznetsov notched two goals and seven points in 20 regular season games for Carolina while collecting another four goals and six points in 10 postseason contests.

At 32 years old, Kuznetsov theoretically could return to the NHL in the future but that does not appear as the route he will take. He will more than likely finish his NHL career with 173 goals and 575 points in 743 games with another 33 goals and 73 points in 97 postseason contests, including a Stanley Cup ring.

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff was the first to report the Hurricanes would place Kuznetsov on unconditional waivers. 

Nikolai Knyzhov Clears Unconditional Waivers

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Sunday: Knyzhov has cleared waivers, PuckPedia reports.  However, he isn’t being bought out; instead, it’s a mutual termination, meaning that San Jose will have no lingering cap hit.

Saturday: The San Jose Sharks have placed defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov on unconditional waivers for the purposes of a buyout, per Chris Johnston with The Athletic (Twitter link).

Knyzhov has spent parts of the last five seasons with the Sharks roster, joining the team as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He showed up strong with the San Jose Barracuda, recording just five points in 33 games but looking well-matched when defending the rush on North American ice. The strong adjustment earned Knyzhov a full-time role with the Sharks in 2020-21. He totaled 10 points and 39 penalty minutes in 56 games as a rookie – posting career-highs across the boards. But injuries derailed Knyzhov’s sophomore year, holding him out for all of the 2021-22 season and most of the 2022-23 season. This year was his first of good health since 2021, and he seemed to make a triumphant return, recording a career-high 14 points in 40 AHL games, though he struggled significantly in 10 NHL games.

But there’s upside to be had with Knyzhov, who will now enter the open market with 81 career games, and 12 career points, under his belt. He’ll offer a cheap defensive-defenseman style, so long as he opts to stay in North America, rather than returning to SKA St. Petersburg in Russia. Knyzhov previously spent three years in SKA’s system, after brief stints with the WHL’s Regina Pats and the NAHL’s Springfield Jr. Blues in the 2015-16 season.

Blue Jackets Expected To Buy Out Adam Boqvist

at CDT | by 9 Comments

The Columbus Blue Jackets are expected to place young defender Adam Boqvist on unconditional waivers for the purposes of a buyout later today, shares Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (Twitter link). The Blue Jackets would only be on the hook for one-third of his contract value should he clear unconditional waivers, as he’s being bought out before the age of 26. That would burden Columbus with a $533K cap hit through the next two seasons, a full $2.7MM in savings from the $3.2MM salary that Boqvist was due next year, though also strapping them with empty cap in 2025-26.

Boqvist is a surprising name to a list of pre-July 1st buyouts that also features Jack Campbell and Nate Schmidt. Unlike those two, Boqvist is closer to the beginning of his career than the end of it, though he’s been no stranger to struggles. Boqvist has been in and out of Columbus’ lineups for much of the last three seasons since they acquired him from the Chicago Blackhawks alongside the picks used for David Jiricek, Cole Sillinger, and Aleksi Heimosalmi. In return, Columbus gave up defender Seth Jones and the picks used on Nolan Allan and Dominic Jones.

Boqvist joined the Blue Jackets with 76 NHL games, and 29 points, under his belt. But despite moving to a Columbus team that was, at the time, less competitive than Chicago – Boqvist wasn’t able to work his way up the depth chart. He instead spent much of his first year on the team’s third pairing, posting 22 points, split evenly, in 55 games. That was enough offense to earn him a slight boost in power-play time last season, with Boqvist vindicating the boost with a career-high 24 points in 46 games.

But Boqvist hasn’t been able to avoid the injury bug in any of his five NHL seasons. That came to a point this season, when an upper-body injury ended Boqvist’s season in mid-March, after routinely holding him out of the lineup since December. He was held to just 35 games on the year, tied for the fewest games he’s played in one season, and Boqvist posted a career-low 10 points as a result. Despite clear skill in carrying and managing the puck, a lack of assuredness in making plays and air-headed defense has kept Boqvist from taking off. He was previously due a $2.6MM cap hit this season – a number that could be palatable for teams looking for a spark on waivers. Should he make it to the open market, the young Boqvist will surely have no shortage of suitors.

Sharks Claim Barclay Goodrow From Rangers

at CDT | by 25 Comments

The Sharks have claimed forward Barclay Goodrow off waivers from the Rangers, reports Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic. The New York Post’s Mollie Walker reported after the Rangers waived him yesterday that San Jose was likely to snag him off the wire.

Goodrow, 31, officially returns to where his NHL career began as an undrafted free agent signing in 2014. He developed into a solid checking center/winger over the course of the next six years in the Bay Area, eventually landing with the Lightning via trade in 2020 and playing an important third-line role in their back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.

The Toronto native parlayed that into a six-year, $21.85MM deal with New York in 2021, one that hasn’t aged particularly well. Costing $3.642MM against the cap, he had just four goals and 12 points in 80 games in the regular season in 2023-24.

While Goodrow repaired his value in the postseason, tallying six goals in 16 games in the Rangers’ run to the Eastern Conference Final, his cap hit had become affordable for a team in the peak of its contention window looking to make significant additions this summer. He’s never been able to match the two-way impact he had with the Lightning in New York, but he did at least contribute a respectable 30-plus points in each of his first two seasons in the Big Apple.

A major reason for his offensive decline this season was his deployment under head coach Peter Laviolette, who decreased his offensive zone start share at even strength from about 42% through two seasons to a paltry 23.5% in 2023-24, rarely getting him opportunities to contribute on the scoresheet. The Rangers forward with the second-most sparse offensive deployment, Jimmy Vesey, had 30.9% of his in-zone starts at even strength come in the offensive end.

The Sharks, who mustered just 181 goals last season compared to the Rangers’ 282, will rely on Goodrow offensively much more than that. Even if putting up points isn’t his main purpose as a versatile forward deployed in checking situations, it’s feasible that he’ll average north of 15 minutes per game and hover around the career-high 13 goals and 33 points he had with the Rangers in 2021-22.

Today’s claim also has considerable financial benefits for both teams. Most importantly, it leaves the Rangers off the hook for the remainder of Goodrow’s deal, which carried the aforementioned $3.6MM cap hit through 2027. For general manager Chris Drury, it’s a much cleaner and more preferable departure than buying him out, resulting in lasting cap ramifications for the next six years, or giving up assets to trade him away while retaining salary. It’s the closest thing to straight-up releasing a player the NHL has to offer without terminating a contract.

Meanwhile, the Sharks sat over $13MM below next season’s $65MM cap floor before claiming Goodrow. They now have under $10MM worth of cap hits to add to their books next season, a much more attainable figure for a team expected to be only mildly aggressive in free agency as they continue to rebuild.

In 268 games during his previous stint with the Sharks, Goodrow scored 26 goals and 71 points. It’s worth noting that Goodrow had a 15-team no-trade list in his contract but not a no-move clause – meaning he could have blocked a deal to San Jose if they’d been on his list. Instead, because he’s changing hands via waivers, he has no ability to nix the move.

Rangers Place Barclay Goodrow On Waivers

at CDT | by 16 Comments

7:00 PM: Barclay Goodrow may not have to spend very long on waivers, with Mollie Walker of the New York Post reporting that the San Jose Sharks – who carry top priority in waiver claims after finishing last in the league – could have an agreement in place to claim the Rangers winger. Goodrow spent the first six years of his NHL career with the Sharks, joining the team as an undrafted free agent in 2014. The 31-year-old veteran could provide great leadership to a now much younger San Jose lineup, as the team looks to return to their days of routine playoff berths.

1:00 PM: The Rangers have placed forward Barclay Goodrow on waivers, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

The move likely marks the beginning of the end for Goodrow’s time in New York, whether via a waiver claim over the next 24 hours or via buyout or trade. He has three seasons remaining at a $3.642MM cap hit with a 15-team no-trade list.

Goodrow, now 31, gave himself quite a reputation around the league with some clutch playoff performances for the Sharks and Lightning around the turn of the decade. After scoring the overtime winner for San Jose against the Golden Knights in Game 7 of their first-round win, a game they trailed 3-0 in the third period, he went on to play a key depth role in Tampa’s back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021.

That earned him his current deal – a six-year, $21.85MM pact signed with the Rangers after they acquired his signing rights from the Bolts shortly before free agency opened in 2021. At first, it seemed to pay off. His first season in the Big Apple saw him do well in a checking role, posting 13 goals, 33 points and a +13 rating in 79 games while averaging nearly 17 minutes per night. Behind the scenes, though, there were red flags. His strong possession numbers with Tampa had cratered in New York, and the Blueshirts only controlled 44.3% of shot attempts with Goodrow on the ice at even strength in his first year.

It’s been downhill from there. Goodrow’s ice time and point production have consistently slipped over the past two years, and his already underwhelming possession metrics have gotten worse. He was arguably the worst two-way player in the league this season, managing to control just 39.1% of shot attempts when on the ice at even strength. For context, the Rangers overall controlled 53.2% of shot attempts without Goodrow on the ice at even strength.

His box stats this season were unimpressive as well. He played in 80 games but mustered only four goals and 12 points while slipping to a fourth-line center role for most of the campaign. Of course, he showed up when it matters most yet again, exploding for six goals and two assists in 16 playoff games. While a good story, he shot at 40%, and his possession metrics were even worse than in the regular season. That level of offense was never going to be sustainable.

All 31 other teams can now have Goodrow for free, but with three years left on a deal that was a vast overpayment this season, it’s highly unlikely he’ll be claimed. The waiver process should allow Rangers general manager Chris Drury to gauge interest in his services in an attempt to work out a cap-clearing trade, though. Even if that doesn’t work, buying out the remainder of his contract is an option. Doing so would result in a cap credit of $247K this season before a $1.003MM penalty in 2025-26, a $3.503MM penalty in 2026-27, and a $1.111MM penalty from 2027-28 to 2029-30, per CapFriendly. It would save the Rangers an average of just $556K per season over the next six years.

Nathan Todd Clears Unconditional Waivers; Signs In KHL

at CDT | by 3 Comments

6/12: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Todd has cleared waivers this morning. The Sharks organization can now release Todd making him an unrestricted free agent, and they will open up a contract spot before a busy summer. Instead of pursuing an AHL contract this summer, reports from the Kontinental Hockey League indicate Todd has already signed a deal with HC Salavat Yulaev for the 2024-25 KHL season.

6/11: Beat writer for the San Jose Sharks, Curtis Pashelka is reporting that the organization has placed forward Nathan Todd on unconditional waivers for contract termination. Although the move does not carry significant weight at the NHL level, it will impact the Sharks’ AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda.

As an undrafted free agent, Todd spent much of his first four professional years in the ECHL before making the full-time jump to the AHL in 2020-21 for the Manitoba Moose. After securing nearly a point-per-game season with the Moose, Todd left to join the Springfield Thunderbirds for the next two seasons. In his first year with the Thunderbirds, the team would make it to the Calder Cup Final before finally being ousted by the Chicago Wolves in five games. During that postseason, Todd became a quality depth scorer, putting up four goals and 11 points in 18 games.

Last offseason, Todd signed on with the Sharks organization to a two-year, two-way contract. Playing the entire year for the Barracuda, Todd rewarded the team nicely, scoring 19 goals and 55 points in 69 games which is far and away his most productive season to date. Todd tied for 27th in the AHL in total scoring while also leading the Barracuda in assists and points.

Assuming Todd is not picked up on waivers over the next 24 hours, he will hit the open market to search for another AHL franchise to call home this summer. After failing to make the Calder Cup playoffs in the last two years, Todd’s breakout year in the minor leagues may earn him a spot on a much more competitive roster next season.

Blue Jackets Place Brendan Gaunce On Waivers

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

May 27: Gaunce cleared waivers today and was subsequently assigned to AHL Cleveland, per a team announcement.

May 26: The Columbus Blue Jackets have placed forward Brendan Gaunce on waivers, per PuckPedia (Twitter link). The move was confirmed by CapFriendly (Twitter link). Gaunce captained Columbus’ AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, this season, helping to lead the team to a first-place finish in the league’s North Division. The Monsters are now set for the Calder Cup’s Eastern Conference Finals, with that series set to begin on Thursday.

This is the second time Gaunce has been placed on waivers this season, having cleared them to join Cleveland in October. He spent the majority of his season in the minor leagues, appearing in 46 games with the Monsters and recording an AHL career-high of 19 goals and 39 points. Gaunce also appeared in 24 NHL games this season, scoring four points. It was the most time that Gaunce had spent in the NHL since his first year with Columbus in the 2021-22 season, when he totaled 30 games and seven points.

Gaunce has been on the NHL roster since March. Assuming he clears waivers, he’ll rejoin a Monsters lineup that’s breezed through the Calder Cup Playoffs, beating the Belleville Senators 3-1 after a first-round bye and sweeping the Syracuse Crunch in the North Division Finals. Gaunce has provided stout scoring and plenty of veteran leadership from the team’s second line. Those are the traits they’ll need as Cleveland takes on a Hershey Bears lineup with an identical record in these playoffs.

Lightning’s Ilya Usau Clears Waivers, Has Contract Terminated

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

05/26: Ilya Usau has cleared waivers and will have his contract terminated, per CapFriendly (Twitter link). His contract has now been mutually terminated

05/25: The Tampa Bay Lightning have placed centerman Ilya Usau (Usov) on unconditional waivers for the purposes of contract termination, per CapFriendly (Twitter link). Usau had one year remaining on a three-year, $2.8MM entry-level contract signed in 2022. He earned the deal following a three-game appearance with Belarus at the 2022 Olympic Qualifiers – an appearance he made in the midst of a 26-point season in the KHL. Usau has since spent the last two seasons with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, recording 30 points across 99 games with the team.

Usau was first draft-eligible in the 2020 NHL Draft. He spent his season with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders, recording 22 goals and 52 points in 58 games in his first season in Canada – after growing up through the USA youth hockey system and even appearing in four USHL games in 2019. His scoring in Western Canada drew the attention of scouts, finishing the year as the 101st-ranked prospect in TSN’s Craig Button’s final rankings. But Usau went unclaimed in the draft and decided to move back to his native Minsk, Belarus, signing with the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk.

That’s likely where Usau is bound for with this move, shares James Mirtle of The Athletic (Twitter link). If that’s the case, he’ll be returning to a KHL career just four games shy of 100 career games and, presumably, a Dinamo Minsk club that extended their playoff streak to four seasons this year.

Vladislav Firstov Clears Unconditional Waivers, Released By Wild

at CDT | by 5 Comments

Wednesday: Firstov cleared waivers today, per CapFriendly.  The Wild wasted little time releasing him as John Shipley of the Pioneer Press notes that the deal has already been terminated.

Tuesday: The Wild have placed forward prospect Vladislav Firstov on unconditional waivers with intent to terminate his contract, the team announced Tuesday. The Athletic’s Michael Russo was the first to report the news.

It’s likely a mutual termination to allow Firstov to return to Russia next season. The 22-year-old spent most of the last two seasons on loan to Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the Kontinental Hockey League but was briefly brought to North America to close 2023-24 with AHL Iowa.

He had two goals and two assists in his 10-game stint with the club, his first since a lone appearance at the beginning of 2022-23 before heading to the KHL. Firstov had one season remaining on his entry-level contract and would have been a restricted free agent in 2025, but if he clears waivers tomorrow, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent immediately.

All told, the 2019 second-round pick will have played just 19 games in the Wild organization, all coming with Iowa. He totaled two goals and six points in parts of three seasons after turning pro out of UConn in 2022. A move back to Torpedo seems likely for Firstov, who did well with 28 goals, 61 points and 110 PIMs in 114 games over the past two seasons.

With Firstov set to be off the books next season, the Wild are down to 35 out of the maximum 50 standard player contracts signed.

Hurricanes Place Alexander Pashin On Unconditional Waivers

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Right wing prospect Alexander Pashin was placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of contract termination by the Hurricanes today, the team’s Walt Ruff reports.

Carolina selected Pashin, now 21, in the seventh round of the 2020 draft and signed him to a three-year entry-level contract in May 2022. The Russian forward came to North America immediately, spending 2022-23 with AHL Chicago where he recorded four goals, 10 points and a -12 rating in 47 games. It was a difficult adjustment for the agile but undersized winger, who had put up strong numbers in the junior and second-tier professional ranks in Russia but couldn’t break through a deep forward prospect pool in Carolina.

Without an affiliation agreement in place with Chicago this season, the Hurricanes loaned Pashin to Spartak Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League for the 2023-24 season. He provided solid depth scoring in a depth role there, posting 10 goals and nine assists in 60 games with a +3 rating. He was one of nine double-digit goal-scorers on Spartak’s roster and finished tied for 11th on the club in points. Spartak was eliminated in the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the KHL postseason, falling to eventual champion Metallurg Magnitogorsk.

Prior to coming to North America in 2022, Pashin logged his first full professional season with Toros Neftekamsk of the second-tier VHL. In 34 appearances for them in 2021-22, he was among their top scorers with 17 goals and 30 points.

If Pashin clears waivers tomorrow, he will become an unrestricted free agent and is free to sign with any NHL, AHL or overseas club. With his 5’8″, 154-lb frame already proving difficult in his adjustment to the AHL a season ago, he’s unlikely to receive any NHL offers and will likely remain in Russia. The move opens up an additional contract slot for the Canes this summer, who now only have 25 of the maximum 50 standard player contracts signed for 2024-25.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top