It’s here! The annual meeting of “you always overrate the waiver wire” and “how did the Oilers acquire Alec Regula?” and I’m here for it. I have loved waivers since I was a kid, followed it every year since maybe 1969. I know, I’m a nerd. Guilty as charged.
The first recorded acquisition by the Oilers via waivers was Stan Weir from the Toronto Maple Leafs in July 1979. Did you know that? Bet you didn’t. Colin Campbell was claimed by Vancouver from Edmonton in 1980, not sure he’s ever forgiven them. The Hartford Whalers claimed Dave Lumley in the fall of 1984, but Slats claimed him back a few weeks later. I could go on all day about the waiver wire.
Over the last decade, If we look at the AHL graduates who had success (Jujhar Khaira, Ethan Bear, Caleb Jones, Stuart Skinner, Ryan McLeod, Mike Kesselring, Dylan Holloway, Philip Broberg) and compare them to the shy ones (Teemu Hartikainen, Bogdan Yakimov, Tyler Benson) foot speed or lack thereof is a major consideration.
Raphael Lavoie is often included in this slower group, but NHL Edge clocked him in the 78th percentile one year ago. Lavoie’s problem has always been moving his feet and that’s a thing.
For today, my guess is we see at least one name on the waiver wire from the Oilers that sends this blog into a fury. “Noah Philp is going to get claimed, man” followed by “who cares? He don’t make a bit of difference” and maybe we all said that the day Stan Weir was claimed or Dave Lumley was lost. I don’t remember that part of the moment. I do remember when Ray Whitney was claimed, and hell’s bells that one hurt. He was on the Hurricanes SC winner just to make it hurt a little more.
Waivers do matter, and the names on the list today are going to represent the most interesting in some time. There’s some wiggle room for the team if Stan Bowman wants to run Zach Hyman on LTIR.
I haven’t seen it anywhere, but he could also send down David Tomasek, Ike Howard and Matt Savoie, as none are a waiver worry. It would delay the reckoning until Max Jones is cleared for waivers and they make a decision.
Or, we’ll see a trade. For those who think waivers can be important, happy waiver day!
New for The Athletic: Making the final call on Edmonton Oilers’ season-opening 2025-26 roster
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6689385/2025/10/05/edmonton-oilers-roster-2025-lowetide/
The Oilers won’t win the cup this year. In fact I think they are a poised to be knocked out early this year.
The only chance they had was if McDavid signed an 8 year extension at a reasonable number and they had time to retool properly.
He knows this. It’s on him, he is disingenuous.
FWIW
2 Mutts Hockey Podcast
@2MuttsHockeyPod
Based on the information provided to us today/tonight the Oilers will go into the Regular Season with no contract extension in place for Connor McDavid.
McDavid has been upfront about this situation all along to Oilers management.
No McDavid press conference tomorrow.
If 2 Mutts is saying he won’t sign before the season starts, I expect a contract in the next 48 hours.
Haven’t been able to watch due to Flohockey having technical issues but after the sensation performance before SO last night (saving 21 of 22), Nathanial Day has stopped 28 of 28 in 33 minutes today.
Lets not forget, he was exceptional in the ECHL stint after he finished junior last year as well.
Petrov has the Condors goal.
First Tkachuk now Barkov.
Either this really isn’t Florida’s year, or this spring sees an even more stacked than usual Cats squad.*
* I confess I haven’t taken time to absorb the new cap rules. If FLA turns old tricks (LTIR to game 84), worst case for them is single game cap management challenges, correct?
Anyways I feel for Barkov, one of the few Panthers I don’t hate. Maybe his last shot at Olympic glory.
Tkachuk is expected in December.
Barkov MAY return for the playoff but Zito may be able to add a centre during he season.
He will have to remove that center for the playoffs if fuchuck and Barkov are back.
Summarizing!
Lewandowski was a blitzkrieg on ice, raining apples upon the Kings of Wheat. He assisted not once, not twice, but four times. And for good measure, he later added a PP goal in a 6-3 Blades win. Also finished +4.
Prospecting takes a break until voices carry.
and was not named a start of the game……. quite the marks off for a couple minor penalties I guess.
Also noteworthy: Rookie camp invitee Carson Woodall has 10 points (all assists) in 8 games for Windsor. Leads the OHL in apples.
Is there a way we can still grab dipietro and stay under cap. May the best of the 4 win the two jobs.
So the plan would be to keep 3 goalies on the roster?
Ya, its do-able but yet another skater is going to be cut (and a couple are going to be cut in due course by the time Hyman is back).
Claiming a goalie has never, and still does not, make sense for this roster – the play was a exactly what they did.
Let Skinner and Pickard play.
All in my opinion.
Yeah, in that scenario those three are held on the pro roster. Maybe dipietro doesn’t get a game because skinner and pickard kick ass.
im not a skinner hater but he hasn’t shown me he’s going to be the guy. I think you explore all options you can until you find one.
Will be tough to provide updates on the Leppanen and Day show as the feed is all pixelated – even the sound is unlistenable as of now (I swear I heard Drew Remanda’s voice though).
So far, October Blue Jays looking like July Blue Jays! Rollin!
Yesavage with incredible 10 strikeouts in 4 innings! Jays bats humming!
Its almost like Yesavage was built for this.
Mr October!
Precisely what his mom said after the game, admitting that “…he was built for this”
Too young to feel any pressure his splitter is unhittable.
Trey, you’re savage!
Vladdy with a grand slam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have rewatched that ¡GRAND PLAKATA! about a dozen times, MAN, Vladdy Jr. smoked that ball!
Oh wow. They have matched last game’s blowout run total in 4 INNINGS??? Incroyable!
— I’m here : best chant I’ve ever heard : “Yankees bullpen”. !
Yankees chanting Blue Jays bullpen at the moment..can’t take foot off the pedal in the postseason. Hopefully Fluharty can stop the bleeding!
If McD is unsigned going into the season, this year will be a circus.
The longer he takes the more likely he is to go.
I am not sure how fans can think about anything else.
If he is unsigned at Christmas they have to bench him until he waives the no trade clause.
Recent examples of stars going into final year unsigned: Tavares and Marner.
Eichel, Kempe, Kyle Connor and many every single year – most re-sign with their team – you picked two examples over a decade.
If he doesn’t sign by opening day give me one reason why? Besides the obvious.
There’s only the obvious, he’s gone. Stan can ride the Oilers into the ground like he did the Hawks. With a built in excuse this time.
Rishaug update on this from this AM.
https://x.com/TSNRyanRishaug/status/1974889960080818391
Rishaug is about as much an insider as I am.
Do you think TO was right to trade for Kawaii for Leonard, for a one time chance at a title?
If Oilers had no McDavid, what would you trade for a one time rental?
Just saying if keeping him, despite him heading out, gives us one more shot at the cup, would you? What if winning the cup is what ends up allowing us to keep him? Just some questions to ponder, while you entrench yourself in your position.
Good points for sure.
And the Oilers would definitely get something for his rights after the season.
I still think you need to get assets back. If the Oilers were younger maybe it would be a different story.
What if he’s unsigned going in to the season but signs next Friday?
The Oilers would not look to trade McDavid unless he’s unsigned at the trade deadline and out of contention – they are trying to win the Stanley Cup this season.
Benching McDavid as a tactic to (a) get him to waive he negotiated NMC or (b) due to not agreeing to sign a new contract during term term of the existing contract would not only cause the biggest NHLPA uproar of all time but likely lawsuits in very short order.
Ooh no McDavid is going to sue the Oilers because of his entitlement. This will go over well with the Oiler faithful and NHL fans in general.
Entitlement? He’s playing in to the last year of his contract like dozens do every year and thousands over the years.
What is suggested is not legal.
Your the one talking about lawsuits. Are you suggesting that Bowman should allow McDavid to leave town like Marner did?
Yes, lawsuits if the Oilers do what was proposed – benching a player to as a tactic to waive a contractually negotiated clause or to try and sign a new contract – lets be real about what the represents.
If the Oilers a top team in the league come the trade deadline, absolutely they keep going – the goal is the Stanley Cup and winning it.
The Oilers won’t have a choice if McDavid wants to compete for that cup in Edmonton – his stated only goal.
Should have traded him at the draft. He knows he’s bigger than the team and unlike those who came before him, he’s broken the talk only in positive cliche shtick. He’s a mercenary and has one foot out the door.
The possible return you could have gotten for him is dwindling to nothing. It’s more likely, by a lot I think, that he’s a massive distraction and the season is sewered before it begins and he’s gone for nothing than another run to the cup.
Even without this, attrition from the last two cut runs, makes another run to the cup this year highly unlikely.
Also an injury and he’s gone without the trouble of answering to fans every game.
Playing out this season without a contract should have been a non starter. Some times you have to play hardball.
The possible return hasn’t dwindled to nothing, its always been nothing – McDavid, with the NMC, is committed to winning in Edmonton this season.
If he’s unsigned there’s no chance the Oilers are winning it all this season as the outside circus will derail that if anyone is being honest with themselves.
He’s earned his rights, the Oilers also have to do what’s best for the Organization and that’s not allowing him to walk without a substantial return.
I 100% agree the Oilers will need to trade him.
Absolutely have to trade him and he should have already been given the tough options last spring. Crazy to think that there was no way to trade him.
You get him to sign a contract or give you a couple teams he’d go to.
This is Edmonton not Florida, The recovery will be long and possibly futile.
You “get him”?
This is outside team control.
Hart’s roster prediction (as I motioned, project for Tomasek and Howard to go down tomorrow for structuring):
Jeez, even PuckPedia piling on poor Howard, sending the Hobey Baker winner to the vicious AHL. Poor kid must be a bust.
That is solely for opening roster submission and cap structuring.
Howard will be back up for game 1.
It was a very tongue in cheek comment.
So I need some enlightenment here.
Why would you send down Tomasek and bring up Hamblin to get to $834k of room when you could leave Tomasek up and only have about 400k room?
Looks like Nurse/Regula is a real thing for opening night:
Per Tony B:
Be interesting to see how that pairing does against actual NHL opposition.
Regula being bona fide and Ekholm returning to full health would be massive.
Not that I like hearing about Walman’s injury but this is an opportunity for Regula to solidify a spot. I really do hope the young fella can run with it.
— Two “no ways” that became “yes ways” this off-season:
1) No way they don’t have CmD signed for max
2) No way they keep same goalie tandem
— So I’m now thinking :”No way they win the cup this year”….
LT, one of your favs on the waiver wire.
https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/article/senators-to-place-f-kaliyev-on-waivers/
Arthur Kaliyev might be with worth a claim, but it looks like he’s struggled the past few years.
He has regressed badly, partly due to injury. He has averaged 15.4 goals per 82 games, though, and averaged 2.94 goals-60 on the power play (combined) in his three final seasons with LAK.
https://www.naturalstattrick.com/playerteams.php?fromseason=20212022&thruseason=20232024&stype=2&sit=pp&score=all&stdoi=std&rate=y&team=L.A&pos=F&loc=B&toi=0&gpfilt=none&fd=&td=&tgp=410&lines=single&draftteam=ALL
The Oilers don’t need a power play specialist.
Lots of famous names on waivers and I can’t imagine the Oilers claiming any.
Matt Blumel included.
Blumel led the AHL in goal scoring last season with 39.
You would think there must be a team that could use that skill.
Great AHL player – at 25 and waived out of camp again, that might be it on this side of the pond – history is littered.
Mikey Dipietro on waivers today as well. Now that we have picked up Ingram, do we still make a claim? Lot’s of goalies in the system all of a sudden
Claim DiPietro, trade Ingram. Get an asset for a freebie. Thoughts?
What? No, why?
Ingram is better than the waiver goalies.
Ingram is AHL eligible, a claimed goalie is not.
Sogaard and Daws also on waivers
It never made sense for the Oilers to claim any goalie, and it still doesn’t make sense.
The Oilers are not going to keep 3 goalies on the roster and are not going to waive Pickard going in to the season.
So based on Jones being the only player on waivers, is it safe to say Philp has made the opening night roster? If Howard and Tomasek go down for cap compliance then back up for opening night, that would leave Janmark as the odd man out up front once he’s healthy.
Appears that Regula has made the team as well so it would be Stecher as odd man out on d once Walman returns.
Here’s hoping Bowman can work a trade to get some assets back for Janmark and Stecher.
From Elliotte F on X:
Aspirot, Blumel (BOS); Dunne (BUF); Primeau (CAR); Ahcan, Middleton (COL); Gustafsson, Holl (DET); Studnicka (FLA); Petersen, Pitlick (MIN); Addison, Gruden, Hardman, Legare (NJ); Grundstrom (PHI); Regenda (SJ); Hayden (SEA); Ellis, Skinne (STL); Carlile (TB); Douglas (UT); Rondbjerg (LV); Frank (WASH)
Max Jones (EDM)
Blais, Kahkonen (MON)
Hodgson, Jenik, Kaliyev, Lycksell, Sogaard, Thomson (OTT)
Benning, Mermis, Pezzetta, Thrun (TOR)
Duehr, Heinola (WIN)
Oilers announce Max Jones on waivers……… so noone else?
I don’t imagine Howard or Tomasek actually go down but maybe they do for tomorrow – they can be recalled prior to game one as the “play one game in AHL” rule doesn’t start until October 10.
Per Tony B:
Per Stauffer:
Looks like Janmark and Walman still too injured to go – my guess is one or both of them starts on IR and Hyman on LTIR but I haven’t crunched the numbers
Coach said about a week for Janmark a few days ago so we know he won’t play opening night – IR/LTIR could be an option.
Coach keeps saying Walman is ready for opening night but, he’s done that to us before with it being far from the case.
If only the league allowed practice games to try this combo out. They could call it ‘pre-season’ or ‘exhibition’. That would be awesome
If they are going to be using LTIR early in the season, they will want Savoie (and Howard) on the roster when they place Hyman on LTIR to set the LTIR performance bonus pool or else their bonuses will impact their cap hit when on the NHL roster (when still in LTIR) – i believe this is much more material with Savoie than Howard.
In any event, both those guys will be playing game 1, I think we know it.
Tomasek will also be playing game one – I mean, he’s been the 3C and PP1 guy with McDavid/Drai/Etc. in the lineup.
The Anton Forsberg pandemic saga may be the point where I became legitimately invested in waivers. What a baffling season.
Sure all the nerds here already know, but I found this site to follow along today…
https://puckpedia.com/waiver-wire
Frank Seravalli
@frank_seravalli
After 16 ejections and 312 penalty minutes in a preseason Battle of Florida on Saturday night, end result from NHL Player Safety is a pair of fines and a pair of pending hearings for Bolts JJ Moser and Scott Sabourin.
Tampa is a winning organization-culture they know the only way to beat the Panthers is to cut the head off of the snake.
Worth the squeeze.
Prospectolus!
The lone NAmateur today is David Lewandowski, who has assumed the mantle of “German NAmateur” from Luca Münzenberger.
Lew has 1+2 in three games since his camping trip. Interestingly, he is not the only Deutschlander on the Blades. He is joined this year by the diminutive Dustin Willhöft, who makes Yamamoto look like Paul Bunyan.
Puck drops at 3 p.m. Veinerville time.
Willhoft’s teammate, Benjamin Bowtell, is 5’8″ and 150lbs. The times, they have changed.
Forwards are a little less dynamic than last night but we get to see Leppanen.
Day was sensational before the SO last night.
tonight:
Petrov – Grubbe – Stefan
Stonehouse – Copponi – Keppen
Brown – Janicke – Groll
Hamaliuk – Magera – Stuart
Leppanen – Akey
Millman – Prokop
Inamoto – Krebs
Day
Jonsson
A little less dynamic is an understatement but that top pairing should be fun at least.
Disappointed to not see Mats Lindgren on the initial camp roster, thought he was a smart AHL signing and haven’t seeing anything about injury.
Thanks OP.
I’m okay with risking Stetcher on the waiver wire but not Regula or Philp
Agreed. Philp and Regula have made this team on merit based on the preseason.
You’d think there’d be a trade out there somewhere to be had.
Troy Stetcher for Oskar Sundkvist from STL?
Pavel Dorofeyev from VGK?
St. Louis (organization and fans) loves Sundkvist. Likely the 4C this year full time load managed, with Bjugstad probably 3RW.
And they have Parayko, Faulk, Mailleux, Kessel, and Jiricek on the right side of the D.
Kessel has to clear waivers if he is NOT #7
Don’t see where Stecher fits in.
Fair observation, the point was the type of targeted trade to be made.
Who do you see as a viable and useful return for Stecher if he’s not going to clear waivers?
You’re kidding right?
Do you think Vegas would trade a 25 year old 35 goal scorer for a 7th defenseman?
See above reply to godot10, “the point was the type of targeted trade to be made.”
I find this hilarious coming from a guy who famously said he wouldn’t trade Brogan Rafferty for either of Klefbom or Bouchard.
How’s Joe Colbourne doing these days?
The Oilers did not claim Stan Weir on waivers. Rather, Stan Weir claimed the Oilers.
Tarkus strikes again!
Well played
There will be around 70 players in waivers at noon today.
Max Jones will be one of them.
Will Lazar or Philp join him?
Stecher or Regula?
I am thinking Max Jones (if healthy), Lazar and Stecher are going down. And one of Janmark or kappanen once Hyman returns of course. Although there is a non zero chance Janmark or Kappanen go down now if Hyman is not on LTIR or tney decide to keep 8 D for a short time before deciding on which one goes down or is traded…
Sounds about right but I’ve got trepidation on the younger players still.
I think Kap is safe for a while. Hes simply more positively impactful than Janmark and hs performed better in the playoffs and exhibition (for what that’s worth).
Be a pisser if Regula or Philp are on.
Who cares?
Off the top of my head?
Regula, Philp, nerds and bored idiots(me).
Why would Bowman waive Regula who had a good camp and has ties with Stan going back to the Chicago days. Regula is big and he’s righthanded Regula not going anywhere.
That’s what I’m hoping for.