Are there any NHL waivers-bound players the Canucks could target?

We are just under a week away from the first official puck drop of the 2025-26 regular season.

Teams are preparing for their final dress rehearsals before the start of the season, with only a couple of preseason games remaining. NHL teams are required to submit their final rosters on Monday, October 6. So, decisions around the NHL loom large as players fight to make the opening night roster.

Those who are unsuccessful could be subject to the NHL waiver wire and find themselves with a new opportunity in a new home. That’s where the Vancouver Canucks could take advantage and pluck some players off the waiver wire if they see fit.

Now, there’s typically a reason that players hit the waiver wire, and that’s because they aren’t ready to make the jump. However, that doesn’t mean the Canucks shouldn’t consider taking a chance on these players if they don’t like what they see in players already on the roster.

Here are six players the Canucks should take a look at claiming if they do indeed his the NHL waiver wire:

All of these players are waiver eligible per PuckPedia’s Waivers Eligibility Tracker.

Forwards

Matej Blumel – RW – Boston Bruins

Those who followed the Abbotsford Canucks’ postseason run last year will remember the name Matej Blumel.

Blumel played for the Texas Stars last season, where he led the entire AHL in goals scored (39) and finished one point shy (72) of Andrew Poturalski for the John B. Sollenberger Trophy for the most points in the American League.

So far this preseason, the 6’0″, 205-lb winger has appeared in three games, scoring one goal, but has registered 10 shots on goal. Blumel is a true sniper with goal-scoring upside. At just 25 years old, Blumel would certainly be worth a claim if he becomes available.

Looking at the Bruins’ winger depth, Blumel will have to beat out Tanner Jeannot, Mikey Eyssimont, Sean Kuraly, Mark Kastelic, Matthew Poitras, Marat Khusnutdinov, John Beecher – all of whom have more NHL experience than Blumel – and highly-touted prospect Fraser Minten. So there is a possibility that Blumel hits the waiver wire.

Rory Kerins – C – Calgary Flames

Rory Kerins has worked his way through the Flames system since being drafted in the fourth round of the 2020 draft. The centreman put up a point-per-game season in his first year in the ECHL. He’s spent the previous two seasons in the AHL, where he led the Calgary Wranglers in goals (33) and points (61) in 63 games. Kerins efforts earned him a five-game stint with the big club last season, where he picked up four assists.

Kerins, 23, has appeared in five preseason games thus far. He has made the most of his outings, scoring one goal and four points, while winning 49% of his 55 draws.

There is a chance that Kerins starts the year as the Flames’ fourth line centre, as it’s really only Martin Pospisil, who can also play wing, as his only true competition. However, if he is placed on waivers and the Canucks believe Aatu Räty hasn’t demonstrated enough to be a reliable bottom-six centre – despite his strong performance last night against the Flames – bringing in Kerins for some competition and organizational depth at centre would be a quality addition.

Noah Philp – C – Edmonton Oilers

Noah Philp is a 6’3″, 198-lb right-shot centreman, who did enough last year to earn himself some NHL games with the Oilers. He appeared in 15 games, nabbing two assists while skating in a fourth line role.

So far this preseason, Philp has been productive, scoring one goal and four points in his four appearances. He’s another centre option like Kerins, who could be that internal competition for Räty, but he’s a natural right-shot. However, we would guess that the Oilers don’t run the risk of losing him on waivers, as the club doesn’t currently have a true fourth-line centre to play behind Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Adam Henrique on the roster.

Jakob Pelletier – LW – Tampa Bay Lightning

It’s not typically a good sign for a player to be on three different NHL rosters over the span of nine months; however, it can be advantageous to give a former first-round pick another chance.

Pelletier was drafted 26th overall by the Flames in 2019. He joined the professional ranks in the 2022-23 season, where he scored 27 goals and 62 points in 68 AHL games. Since then, Pelletier has split his time between the NHL and AHL, with his best season coming last year, when he was a near half-point-per-game player with the Flames, and added three goals and eight points in 25 games with the Flyers.

Pelletier has suited up in just two preseason games for the Lightning, but managed to light the lamp on one of his five shots on goal against the Predators. If the Canucks are looking for some depth scoring, taking a shot on a former first-round pick to revitalize his career for free is worth a shot. The Lightning put him on waivers yesterday, so we will know his fate soon enough.

Ethen Frank – C – Washington Capitals

Although listed as a centre, Ethen Frank was not utilized as a centre for the Washington Capitals last season. He took just one draw, but the 23-year-old tallied four goals and seven points with a plus-3 rating in 24 regular season games. But he looked like he fit in with an NHL bottom six.

The 5’11”, 188-lb forward threw 11 hits and blocked 16 shots, while finishing with solid analytics. Frank had a 58.67% expected goals percentage, a 51.67% scoring chances for percentage and a 58.24% high-danger scoring chances for percentage – pretty impressive for a bottom-sixer.

Frank has former Vancouver Giant Justin Sourdif to compete with, who was acquired from the Florida Panthers after a strong showing in the Calder Cup run last season. Playing in just two games this preseason, Frank has one assist and five shots on goal to show for it. His spot on the roster is far from guaranteed. So if he does hit the NHL waiver wire, the Canucks should jump on the opportunity to bring in a hard worker like Frank.

Defencemen

Now, the Canucks already have a plethora of defencemen in their system. So adding another blueliner would only cloud an already murky situation. However, with veterans Jett Woo and Guillaume Brisebois on the shelf for the foreseeable future, there’s one guy the Canucks might look further into.

Victor Soderstrom – RHD – Boston Bruins

Like Pelletier, former first-round picks continue to get second chances. But what we like about Soderstrom is that he took a break from the NHL, went back overseas and was able to produce there. Last season, Soderstrom played for Brynas IF Gavle of the SHL, where he scored nine goals and 37 points in 49 games. That may have been enough to turn around his career in the NHL.

To make the NHL roster, Soderstrom will have to beat out Jordan Harris for the seventh defenceman spot. That is no easy task, as Harris has 164 games of NHL experience to Soderstrom’s 53. The Swedish defenceman has not done himself any favours either, as he finished with a minus-2 rating in both of his preseason appearances.

What do you think, Canucks fans? Would you like to see the Canucks claim any of these players if they become available on the NHL waiver wire?