Wayne Simmonds, Mike Reilly and Aleksi Heponiemi found themselves among the 64 players placed on the waiver wire on Sunday, as teams prepare their rosters to be compliant for Monday’s deadline.
Lots of teams got in on the action, as 27 teams placed at least one player on the waiver wire. The Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators were the most active with six players each, while the Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks being the only teams not placing players on waivers.
Here is the full list of players waived on Sunday, along with the players who cleared or were claimed from Saturday’s waiver wire:
Simmonds, 34, is a veteran winger on the second year of a two-year deal with a $900,000 cap hit with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He had five goals, 11 assists, and 16 points in 72 games in 2021-22, mostly in a fourth line role for the team. Simmonds finds himself lower on the depth chart than previous seasons, as some of the Leafs younger talent performed better in training camp. He is also reportedly on the trade block, as the Leafs want to do right by Simmonds and give him a chance to play in the NHL.
Reilly, 29, might be the most intriguing name on this waiver wire list. He only had four goals, 13 assists, and 17 points in 70 games with the Boston Bruins last year, but he is also a premier play-driving defenseman both offensively and defensively. It’s a surprising move for the Bruins, who need all hands on deck on their blueline with Charlie McAvoy out for at least the first couple months of the season.
Heponiemi, 23, is one of the younger names on the list, and is a former second round pick of the Panthers in the 2017 draft. He’s only made it into 15 NHL games in two seasons so far in his career, with a goal, two assists, and three points in those games. He had nine goals, 30 assists, and 39 points in 56 games with the Charlotte Checkers in the AHL in 2021-22.
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