Defenseman Lassi Thomson, goaltender Ivan Prosvetov, winger A.J. Greer and defenseman John Ludvig were all claimed on the final day of waivers before teams have to set their rosters for the start of the regular season.
The Ottawa Senators, Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames and Pittsburgh Penguins all made the respective claims for the four players. All other players cleared waivers, which also means that the Tampa Bay Lightning aren’t going to use the waiver wire to fill the goaltending void while Andrei Vasilevskiy misses the first couple of months of the season.
Thomson, 23, returns to the Senators after they had waived him last week and he was claimed by the Anaheim Ducks. He was a 19th-overall pick for the Sens in 2019, and has got into just 18 games in his NHL career, with five assists in that time. He spent most of 2022-23 in the AHL with the Belleville Senators, where he had 7 goals, 26 assists and 33 points in 56 games. The Senators are also checking with the NHL to see if anyone else placed a waiver claim for Thomson, as that would mean that they could send him down to the AHL to start the season if no one else did.
Prosvetov, 24, was drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL draft. He’s struggled to get consistent playing time in the NHL, with just 13 games, a 4-6-1 record, and an .871% save percentage. He wasn’t much better in the AHL last season with the Tucson Roadrunners, as he had a 16-13-4 record with a .900 save% in 35 regular season games, as well as a 1-2 record and an .845% save% in three playoff games as the Roadrunners were eliminated in the first round by the Coachella Valley Firebirds. He will likely serve as the backup goalie for the Avalanche while Pavel Francouz recovers from his injury.
Greer, 26, was a free agent signing by the Boston Bruins in the 2022 offseason. He won over fans early in their record-breaking season when he helped their depth scoring amidst the injuries to Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy with three goals, two assists and five points in their first four games. However, that pace fell off quickly, as he finished the year with 5 goals, 7 assists and 12 points in 61 games.
Ludvig, 23, was in the first year of a two-year contract he signed with the Florida Panthers, the team that drafted him in third round in 2019. He has yet to get into any NHL action, spending the entirety of his 2022-23 season with the Charlotte Checkers in the AHL and getting 3 goals, 14 assists and 17 points in 54 regular season games. He also had two assists in seven playoff games as the Checkers were eliminated in the division semifinals by the Hershey Bears.
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