2023 Interesting Potential Waiver Claims
- Thread starter Vector
- Start date
There's a lot of names but Tobias Bjornfot on the Kings is someone that jumps out to me. Two seasons ago stepped in and played quality minutes for a playoff team. Has been buried as everyone got healthy. Not the biggest guy but is solid defensively.
If Florida puts John Ludvig on waivers, he'd be an absolute automatic insta-claim for me.
This guy was a monster coming out of the WHL a couple years ago and hit the AHL as an immediate impact player at that level ... and then got hurt, and between injuries and the shortened COVID season only played 16 games in 2 years.
Stayed mostly healthy last year and put up great defensive results, and if you can get him I think he's a guy you could plug into our roster immediately. Built like a tank, good skater, highly physical, high skill level for a big defensive type. To me, this is a player with the sort of potential upside you never see in a potential waiver claim and he's only in this situation due to injuries.
Peter Griffin
Registered User
His name stood out as well. Like literally, John Ludvig is a very cool name. Good to know my "Cool Name Theory" is still effective.
Definitely Coghlan as well. Regula, Bjork, and Alexeyev are interesting as well.
I've watched a lot of Moose games over the past two seasons and Chisholm definitely has a nice skills/transition offense package but defensively he's ... ehhhhhh. Pretty small/soft and prone to wandering out of position.
The issue there is also that we already have Akito Hirose and Christian Wolanin as essentially the exact same player type on the fringes of making the team. I've liked what I've seen from both of those guys more than Chisholm and I wouldn't be a huge fan of parachuting a lesser player from another organization in ahead of 'our guys' that have earned a shot.
- Aug 28, 2011
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@Vector Thanks for compiling this list. We need to find a way to get in on Axel Fjallby-Jonsson. Just look at this guy!
Peter Griffin
Registered User
Perfect “flow” replacement for Boeser.@Vector Thanks for compiling this list. We need to find a way to get in on Axel Fjallby-Jonsson. Just look at this guy!
@Vector Thanks for compiling this list. We need to find a way to get in on Axel Fjallby-Jonsson. Just look at this guy!
He was on my list last year. Jets claimed him from the Capitals. That hair may find it's way onto another team again.
My interests:
For defenseman: McIsaac, Bolduc, JBD, Coghlan, Regula, Bjornfot, Alexeyev, Crisholm
For forwards: Lavoie, Denisenko, Ylonen, Dorofeyev, Cotter, Sokolev, Lind, Fagemo, and Nolan Foote
For defenseman: McIsaac, Bolduc, JBD, Coghlan, Regula, Bjornfot, Alexeyev, Crisholm
For forwards: Lavoie, Denisenko, Ylonen, Dorofeyev, Cotter, Sokolev, Lind, Fagemo, and Nolan Foote
If Jan is pronounced Yawn then it’s as cool but if it’s Yan or Jan it’s less cool.
Yawn Loodvig is a lot of fun to say in an exaggerated accent.
Probably a low chance that FLA waives him. Ekblad is out for a while.
Leaves them with Forsling, Mikkola, Montour and OEL as Dmen with cap hits that you can't completely bury in the A. That's 4 guys. Reilly, Kulikov, Mahura, Carlsson, etc. is the group Ludvig is competing against.
Canucks have 47 contracts at the moment. Truscott, they need to sign from college this season. Don't expect Wallinder to sign. I don't think there is anyone else that is a pressing need to sign out of the NCAA, though there may be NCAA free agents that they target.
Hogs and Rathbone are the main guy that the Canucks could lose on waivers.
canuckslover10
Registered User
- Apr 10, 2014
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I doubt we send down hoglander especially after making the Pearson trade, and I don't see anyone claiming Rathbone if hes not even good enough for our d core
biturbo19
Registered User
- Jul 13, 2010
- 27,230
- 12,379
Some names of interest to me from the list:
Benoit-Olivier Groulx - Don't see any chance he's actually waived, i think he'll be an important roster piece for the Ducks. Easy claim if he did hit waivers though.
Jesper Boqvist - Probably doesn't hit waivers. He's cheap and versatile, which is what the Bruins are going for. But they do have a lot of bodies competing for those final roster spots. I'd take a claim on him, but we've already sorta filled his potential niche more or less with Pius Suter.
Dylan Coghlan - Wouldn't expect him to hit waivers, but the Canes do have a ton of defencemen right now and it does look like something has to give. Don't love the idea of the spare D being a RH shot as that tends to be a little bit more limiting than a LHD who can play either side...but he'd be a solid no fuss depth guy.
Raphael Lavoie - I feel like the only way Lavoie hits the waiver wire, is if he has a pretty poor camp and gets beat out by a few others including some PTO guy. At which point...i'd hesitate to pull the trigger on claiming him. But i've liked him since before his draft year and it seems like he's finally started to put things together. A big goal-scoring winger with upside is enticing. Though we're also already a bit backlogged trying to firing scoring role spots for other "in house" homegrown guys.
Markus Niemelainen - Seems like a solid chance he hits waivers and i'd definitely put serious consideration into a claim. He's definitely a fringe guy who hasn't fully established himself at the NHL level, but he also hasn't looked terribly out of place and a huge defenceman like that is certainly intriguing.
Jacob Moverare - I think he's a lot more likely to actually hit waivers than Bjornfot. Still question if he's got the skating, but i think he's got enough going for him to potentially be worth a claim.
Jacob Bernard-Docker - Easy claim if he hits waivers, but i'd doubt he even makes it to us if that's the case. Someone much higher up the order would grab him for sure. If we want him, we'd have to make a trade for him. I think more likely, it's Lassi Thomson that hits the waiver wire. Don't think i'd burn a roster spot on someone like that who hasn't proven remotely that they're ready for the NHL game.
Ty Smith - Another insta-claim for me without hesitation if he hits waivers. But i don't see any chance he does. He'll comfortably be one of their Top-7D breaking camp.
Pontus Holmberg - Next to zero chance he hits waivers. He's pretty much penciled in as the Leafs #3C so far as i can tell. But he'd be another super easy claim if he were available.
Alexander Alexeyev - Another one that'd be an easy claim with his upside, but seriously unlikely to touch waivers.
David Gustafsson - Jets do have a crowded group, so there's a chance. I like him a lot as a spare/depth forward. His size and versatility are really desirable.
------------------------------
Other names of interest:
Jakub Zboril - Riding right on the bubble for Boston. I like his LD/RD versatility, and at least a limited bit of upside as a decent, physical depth defenceman who could probably use a change of scenery. More likely he breaks camp as the Bruins 6/7D, but you never know.
Gustav Lindstrom - Probably doesn't hit waivers, but if some of their younger waiver-exempt guys just force their way onto the team, they've got enough bodies that he could hit waivers if he doesn't beat out Savard/Kovacevic/Barron as a RHD.
Hudson Fasching - Not sure he'd really be necessary with all the forwards we already have fighting for spots, but he's a nice depth player if he's available.
Dillon Heatherington - Kind of a renegade guy to list, but i've always been a fan of his game as a big, physical stay-at-home defenceman. Hasn't ever really got a bunch of run out at the NHL level, but i'd think about giving him a shot.
Calle Rosen - Probably makes the Blues defence out of camp, but if not...i think he'd be an upgrade on most of the options we're looking at for a #7.
Haydn Fleury - Another guy with some nice LD/RD versatility that would be a useful #7 who can plug in and play some minutes.
--------------------------------
The biggest thing is really just considering these sort of waiver claim guys, with respect to what our expected "depth players" are internally. Whether these types are a big enough upgrade to eschew our own guys. There's a degree of familiarity and "loyalty" that has to be considered there. As does the idea of adding extra contracts.
I think on defence, i'd be assuming we've got:
Hughes-Cole
Soucy-Hronek
Wolanin-Myers
*That spare spot looks pretty wide open to me. Brisebois maybe has the inside track for his play later last year...but is also probably a guy you can slip through waivers to continue to help the Farm. Hirose might be a contender, but i think i'd rather have him in the AHL getting significant regular minutes. Bring him up if there's a long-term injury. Rathbone...i just don't like him as a "spare" because he's such a redundant niche player that isn't going to give you those low maintenance reliable bottom-pair minutes. I'd actually be exploring options to swap him for one of these sort of "waivers bubble" guys elsewhere rather than trying to depend on the right guy falling to us in the waivers priority. But #7D is definitely a spot i could definitely see upgrading via waivers potentially.
Up front:
Kuzmenko-Pettersson-Beauvillier
Mikheyev-Miller-Boeser
PDG-Bluegers-Garland
Podkolzin-Suter-Hoglander
*Leaves those extra forward spots to probably Joshua for his somewhat unique "physical" game.
*Second spot is pretty up for grabs. Studnicka isn't anything and could be upgraded, but would be fine in that role if that's the way it rolls out. Aman is also clearly in the mix and looks like an NHL depth player, but his waiver exemption could make it worthwhile to stash him in the AHL for an extra layer of depth to call up. Same for McDonough.
But effectively, are they better than Studnicka? Not a high bar to clear, but still ambiguous with a lot of realistic waiver targets. There's also the factor of...they're allegedly spending camp working a lot of systems play and getting guys up to speed with that. If the "upgrade" is marginal...the edge probably goes to the guy who is going to have been there all the way through camp, rather than parachuting in off waivers at the last minute. But there are still guys worth thinking about taking a flyer on if they're available...
Putting Hoglander on waivers would be beyond negligent. Terrible way to lose a good young asset.
If he's not going to make the opening night roster, you search around and make a deal to at least get something for him. Plenty of teams at the bottom of the standings who would have room to give him a run and try to get him back to what he looked like as a rookie coming in. Probably don't get significant value and i really just don't see the point in getting rid of, or potentially losing him. But if that's what the coaching staff strongly feel...at least get something.
Benoit-Olivier Groulx - Don't see any chance he's actually waived, i think he'll be an important roster piece for the Ducks. Easy claim if he did hit waivers though.
Jesper Boqvist - Probably doesn't hit waivers. He's cheap and versatile, which is what the Bruins are going for. But they do have a lot of bodies competing for those final roster spots. I'd take a claim on him, but we've already sorta filled his potential niche more or less with Pius Suter.
Dylan Coghlan - Wouldn't expect him to hit waivers, but the Canes do have a ton of defencemen right now and it does look like something has to give. Don't love the idea of the spare D being a RH shot as that tends to be a little bit more limiting than a LHD who can play either side...but he'd be a solid no fuss depth guy.
Raphael Lavoie - I feel like the only way Lavoie hits the waiver wire, is if he has a pretty poor camp and gets beat out by a few others including some PTO guy. At which point...i'd hesitate to pull the trigger on claiming him. But i've liked him since before his draft year and it seems like he's finally started to put things together. A big goal-scoring winger with upside is enticing. Though we're also already a bit backlogged trying to firing scoring role spots for other "in house" homegrown guys.
Markus Niemelainen - Seems like a solid chance he hits waivers and i'd definitely put serious consideration into a claim. He's definitely a fringe guy who hasn't fully established himself at the NHL level, but he also hasn't looked terribly out of place and a huge defenceman like that is certainly intriguing.
Jacob Moverare - I think he's a lot more likely to actually hit waivers than Bjornfot. Still question if he's got the skating, but i think he's got enough going for him to potentially be worth a claim.
Jacob Bernard-Docker - Easy claim if he hits waivers, but i'd doubt he even makes it to us if that's the case. Someone much higher up the order would grab him for sure. If we want him, we'd have to make a trade for him. I think more likely, it's Lassi Thomson that hits the waiver wire. Don't think i'd burn a roster spot on someone like that who hasn't proven remotely that they're ready for the NHL game.
Ty Smith - Another insta-claim for me without hesitation if he hits waivers. But i don't see any chance he does. He'll comfortably be one of their Top-7D breaking camp.
Pontus Holmberg - Next to zero chance he hits waivers. He's pretty much penciled in as the Leafs #3C so far as i can tell. But he'd be another super easy claim if he were available.
Alexander Alexeyev - Another one that'd be an easy claim with his upside, but seriously unlikely to touch waivers.
David Gustafsson - Jets do have a crowded group, so there's a chance. I like him a lot as a spare/depth forward. His size and versatility are really desirable.
------------------------------
Other names of interest:
Jakub Zboril - Riding right on the bubble for Boston. I like his LD/RD versatility, and at least a limited bit of upside as a decent, physical depth defenceman who could probably use a change of scenery. More likely he breaks camp as the Bruins 6/7D, but you never know.
Gustav Lindstrom - Probably doesn't hit waivers, but if some of their younger waiver-exempt guys just force their way onto the team, they've got enough bodies that he could hit waivers if he doesn't beat out Savard/Kovacevic/Barron as a RHD.
Hudson Fasching - Not sure he'd really be necessary with all the forwards we already have fighting for spots, but he's a nice depth player if he's available.
Dillon Heatherington - Kind of a renegade guy to list, but i've always been a fan of his game as a big, physical stay-at-home defenceman. Hasn't ever really got a bunch of run out at the NHL level, but i'd think about giving him a shot.
Calle Rosen - Probably makes the Blues defence out of camp, but if not...i think he'd be an upgrade on most of the options we're looking at for a #7.
Haydn Fleury - Another guy with some nice LD/RD versatility that would be a useful #7 who can plug in and play some minutes.
--------------------------------
The biggest thing is really just considering these sort of waiver claim guys, with respect to what our expected "depth players" are internally. Whether these types are a big enough upgrade to eschew our own guys. There's a degree of familiarity and "loyalty" that has to be considered there. As does the idea of adding extra contracts.
I think on defence, i'd be assuming we've got:
Hughes-Cole
Soucy-Hronek
Wolanin-Myers
*That spare spot looks pretty wide open to me. Brisebois maybe has the inside track for his play later last year...but is also probably a guy you can slip through waivers to continue to help the Farm. Hirose might be a contender, but i think i'd rather have him in the AHL getting significant regular minutes. Bring him up if there's a long-term injury. Rathbone...i just don't like him as a "spare" because he's such a redundant niche player that isn't going to give you those low maintenance reliable bottom-pair minutes. I'd actually be exploring options to swap him for one of these sort of "waivers bubble" guys elsewhere rather than trying to depend on the right guy falling to us in the waivers priority. But #7D is definitely a spot i could definitely see upgrading via waivers potentially.
Up front:
Kuzmenko-Pettersson-Beauvillier
Mikheyev-Miller-Boeser
PDG-Bluegers-Garland
Podkolzin-Suter-Hoglander
*Leaves those extra forward spots to probably Joshua for his somewhat unique "physical" game.
*Second spot is pretty up for grabs. Studnicka isn't anything and could be upgraded, but would be fine in that role if that's the way it rolls out. Aman is also clearly in the mix and looks like an NHL depth player, but his waiver exemption could make it worthwhile to stash him in the AHL for an extra layer of depth to call up. Same for McDonough.
But effectively, are they better than Studnicka? Not a high bar to clear, but still ambiguous with a lot of realistic waiver targets. There's also the factor of...they're allegedly spending camp working a lot of systems play and getting guys up to speed with that. If the "upgrade" is marginal...the edge probably goes to the guy who is going to have been there all the way through camp, rather than parachuting in off waivers at the last minute. But there are still guys worth thinking about taking a flyer on if they're available...
Putting Hoglander on waivers would be beyond negligent. Terrible way to lose a good young asset.
If he's not going to make the opening night roster, you search around and make a deal to at least get something for him. Plenty of teams at the bottom of the standings who would have room to give him a run and try to get him back to what he looked like as a rookie coming in. Probably don't get significant value and i really just don't see the point in getting rid of, or potentially losing him. But if that's what the coaching staff strongly feel...at least get something.
Just to clarify, are you saying RHD are less able to play both sides, or just Coghlan specifically?
And agreed with Rathbone, as much as it's the new NHL I think with Hughes being locked in it'll be hard to go with a line-up with two under-sized LHD in the line-up, and there's Hirose cooking in the minors so might be best for both sides if we get Rathbone new scenery and bring in a new depth defenseman, my ideal would be a low-maintenance, defensively responsible, left/right capable one with size.
On the forwards I'd go with what we have.
biturbo19
Registered User
- Jul 13, 2010
- 27,230
- 12,379
Just a generality with RHD. I hate anything that puts them on their off side.
It's just a situation where RH shooters are so much more rare than LH shooters...that RHD just very rarely end up in situations as they develop, where they're asked to play their off side. Less comfortable there.
There are certain LHD who are utterly incapable of playing their off side too. But there's a greater chance it'll work because they have some past experience to lean on overall. Just speaking in general numbers, trends, and odds.
I just really don't see a spot for Rathbone in this lineup. He needs to be in butter soft minutes and spoonfed PP time to do anything worthwhile. That's just not happening. Especially not when we've got Hughes as the cornerstone to our defence as an offensive LHD who is going to eat up huge amounts of icetime.
What you want from that 3rd pairing is...well first of all, somebody to cover for the big dumb Giraffe man Myers. But even outside of that, you just want calm, steady, reliable minutes chewed up and taken care of. That's not what Rathbone is cut out for, if he's even cut out for NHL minutes at all. He's going to be a risky rover if he's gonna be worth anything as an NHLer.
That's where i'd happily swap him out for someone's boring super low ceiling #7D option. Maybe someone else has the room to let Rathbone try to flourish in a more offensive role. But that ain't here. He's redundant with Hughes, he's not gonna be a fit with Hronek. He's a bad fit as a steady 3rd pairing minute filler.
biturbo19
Registered User
- Jul 13, 2010
- 27,230
- 12,379
@Vector Thanks for compiling this list. We need to find a way to get in on Axel Fjallby-Jonsson. Just look at this guy!
Might be worth it for the hair. But as a player, he's a guy i liked as a prospect, but he has next to no actual apparent puck skills. Just glorious flow blowing in the wind while he skates around real fast. He's basically like...if Tyler Motte made a Faustian bargain to trade his small measure of skill for a cool hair and bit more durability.
Probably doesn't hit waivers though anyway, unless someone surprising makes the Jets out of camp.
Rathbone is a bust.
I actually hope he gets claimed on waivers to clear out some PP minutes in Abbotsford for Hirose/McWard/Johansson.
I actually hope he gets claimed on waivers to clear out some PP minutes in Abbotsford for Hirose/McWard/Johansson.
biturbo19
Registered User
- Jul 13, 2010
- 27,230
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idk about that. I think those 4 guys are roster locks, but so are Mahura and Kulikov probably. Good chance Reilly makes the club as well. Not sure they'll want to carry 8D, especially when they will eventually be getting Ekblad back, which would leave them with 9D if everyone else somehow stays healthy.
Not actually sure how Florida will handle that. Haven't really seen much of any of Ludvig recently to know if he's even worth a claim. Have to go on the word of others there. But on the surface at least, he seems like the sort of "in betweener" that teams do try to slip through the cracks amongst a glut of other waiver wire names in camp.
Reilly only cleared last year because he was on a massive ugly contract. At $1M i think someone would very possibly scoop him. Mahura would be an automatic claim for me if he's the one they decided to waive, but probably wouldn't get to us in the priority order. A super mobile guy with lots of playoff experience where he acquitted himself fairly well, who seems to be finally putting it together as an NHLer has easy claim written all over him at a paltry salary like that.
Have to keep in mind with all of these names...Arizona are almost definitely going to be looking to score a LHD off the waiver wire. They're super thin there. Chicago also have plenty of room to tinker with a waiver claim that has some upside. The Sharks D is also a complete joke. So we're waiting in line behind those three hungry teams at the very least, for anyone that hits waivers.
biturbo19
Registered User
- Jul 13, 2010
- 27,230
- 12,379
Yeah. Frankly, even if/when he clears, i'd still be working the phones trying to swap him for somebody else's waiver-cleared filler. Someone that might have a tiny bit more utility, or get in the way less. I just don't see any more point to having Rathbone in the system really. He's not going anywhere here.
Ideally would just dump him for a pick, like a 7th rounder in 2030 or something. But i think a swap of fringe contracts is more likely to work for another team.
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