As NHL teams trim their rosters in preparation for the regular season's start on Tuesday, a flurry of activity has hit the waiver wire. Today, October 4, 2025, seventeen players find themselves on waivers, presenting opportunities for other clubs to bolster their lineups.
The most notable name among those waived is veteran defenseman Ryan Graves of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 30-year-old is in the third year of a six-year, $27 million contract with an average annual value of $4.5 million. Graves is coming off a disappointing 2024-25 season, where he posted just four points (one goal, three assists) in 61 games and was a healthy scratch at times. The Penguins are hoping that if Graves clears waivers, they can assign him to their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, freeing up $3.35 million in cap space. Throughout his NHL career, Graves has played 433 games with the Colorado Avalanche, New Jersey Devils, and Penguins, accumulating 32 goals and 86 assists. He also brings playoff experience, with 10 points in 35 postseason games.
Adding to the intrigue, the New Jersey Devils have placed forward Zack MacEwen on waivers a mere day after acquiring him in a trade with the Ottawa Senators for Kurtis MacDermid. MacEwen, 29, is a physical presence with 17 goals and 34 points in 237 career NHL games. Last season, he played 21 games for Ottawa, scoring two goals and three points.
Besides Graves and MacEwen, several other players are also on the waiver wire. The New Jersey Devils have also placed forwards Thomas Bordeleau, Angus Crookshank, Brian Halonen, and defenseman Colton White on waivers. The Pittsburgh Penguins waived forwards Boko Imama, Alexander Alexeyev, Samuel Poulin, and Rafael Harvey-Pinard. The Florida Panthers have placed defenseman Tobias Bjornfot and goaltender Brandon Bussi on waivers. The Dallas Stars have waived forward Cameron Hughes and defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok. The Philadelphia Flyers have placed defenseman Dennis Gilbert on waivers. The San Jose Sharks have waived center Colin White. Lastly, the Utah Mammoth have placed forward Cameron Hebig on waivers.
These players are available for other teams to claim for a 24-hour period. Any team that claims a player takes on their contract. If a player clears waivers, their original team can assign them to the AHL.
On Friday, several players were claimed off waivers: Ilya Solovyov (from Calgary) was claimed by the Colorado Avalanche, Cole Schwindt (from Vegas) was claimed by the Florida Panthers, and Daemon Hunt (from Columbus) was claimed by the Minnesota Wild. David Kampf, who was placed on waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday, cleared waivers and can be sent to the AHL.
With opening night approaching, expect more roster moves as teams finalize their lineups.
