Hurricanes claim Noah Philp off waivers

Noah Philp is gone from the Edmonton Oilers organization.

The Carolina Hurricanes claimed Philp off of waivers on Monday afternoon, after working his way back from a reported concussion. The 27-year-old played 15 games with the Oilers this season, scoring two goals and adding an assist before his injury.

Philp was one of two Oilers placed on waivers Sunday. David Tomášek cleared waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract as he heads back to Sweden.

The former University of Alberta Golden Bear hasn’t played since Nov. 17 against the Buffalo Sabres, and is on a one-year contract carrying a $775,000 cap hit. 

Philp made his NHL debut on Oct. 31, 2024 and played 15 games last season for the Oilers as well, providing two assists. The right-shot centre was producing at the AHL level with 19 goals and in 70 games 2022-23 with the Bakersfield Condors, retiring after the season. He returned in 2024-25, scoring 19 goals and 35 points in 55 games with the Condors.

He retired from the game and missed the 2023-24 season, but decided to try again.

Lacking opportunity?

Some fans showed frustration with head coach Kris Knoblauch’s deployment of Philp early in the season. On October 11th against the Vancouver Canucks, Philp scored his first NHL goal, and later stood up for teammate Alec Regula after a hard hit from Evander Kane.

However, Philp was a healthy scratch for the next three games, despite his play. When he re-entered the lineup against the Detroit Red Wings on October 19th, he scored his only other goal this season.

The Oilers are desperate to find offence and puck play from their bottom-six, which has struggled to generate despite Edmonton’s record of 6-3-1 in their last ten games. Philp is 6’3” and 198 lbs, but has been critiqued for not using his big frame to help his compete level in the NHL game this season.

His ice times were also noticeably declining. After getting double-digit minutes in his first five games, he only played north of 10 minutes in two of his last ten games as an Edmonton Oiler.

The Carolina Hurricanes have been rumoured to be after a center after being tied to Philip Daneault, who eventually was traded to the Montreal Canadiens. Currently, Mark Jankowski is their 4th line center. Whether the ‘Canes intend to play Philp or try to send him to their AHL affiliate Chicago Wolves is not known at this time.