NHL waivers: 40 players, including two very big surprises are now available for free

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Elias Edmonson
October 8, 2023 (7:16 PM)

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Today was the day where NHL general managers had to make very important decisions regarding players eligible for waivers. Indeed, since teams will officially have to submit their list of 23 players tomorrow evening, many personnel moves were expected.

Once again, we had a very busy day in the NHL as 40 players were placed on waivers, thus becoming available for free to all teams.

Here are the 40 players placed on waivers earlier this afternoon:

- Boston Bruins: Patrick Brown and A.J. Greer
- Carolina Hurricanes: Dylan Coghlan
- Chicago Blackhawks: Joey Anderson
- Colorado Avalanche: Riley Tufte
- Dallas Stars: Riley Damiani
- Detroit Red Wings: Zach Aston-Reese
- Edmonton Oilers: Ben Gleason, Raphael Lavoie, and Lane Pederson
- Florida Panthers: Zac Dalpe, Casey Fitzgerald, and John Ludvig
- Los Angeles Kings: Jaret Anderson-Dolan
- Montreal Canadiens: Joel Armia and Gustav Lindstrom
- Ottawa Senators: Bokondji Imama
- Pittsburgh Penguins: Mark Friedman, Magnus Hellberg, Vinnie Hinostroza, Colin White, and Radim Zohorna
- St. Louis Blues: MacKenzie MacEachern, Calle Rosen, Malcolm Subban, and Nathan Walker
- Tampa Bay Lightning: Zach Bogosian and Gabriel Fortier
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Simon Benoit, Kyle Clifford, Dylan Gambrell, Martin Jones, William Lagesson, and Maxime Lajoie
- Vancouver Canucks: Jack Studnicka and Christian Wolanin
- Vegas Golden Knights: Grigori Denisenko
- Winnipeg Jets: Kyle Capobianco, Collin Delia, and Axel Jonsson-Fjallby

Interestingly, there are some surprises among the list released by the excellent Chris Johnston. In fact, after signing a one-season deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs this summer, goalie Martin Jones finds himself on waivers. This is a rather surprising decision since many observers thought he would back up the number one goalie, Ilya Samsonov.

Furthermore, the Edmonton Oilers placed Quebecer forward Raphael Lavoie on waivers, who had a stellar season in the AHL last year, scoring 25 goals and 20 assists. The 2019 second-round pick might attract some interest from several teams in the NHL, given his immense talent.

It will be interesting to see if Montreal Canadiens General Manager, Kent Hughes, will claim him in the next few hours. At 23 years old, the forward from Chambly is exactly the kind of gamble the management has taken in the past: a young player with high potential in need of a change of scenery to bloom. Moreover, at 6'4" and 194 pounds, Lavoie could allow the Canadiens to add a forward with imposing size to their roster.

This is definitely a situation to watch!