Oilers place Atro Leppänen on NHL waivers

The Edmonton Oilers have placed defenceman Atro Leppänen on waivers, the club announced Saturday.

The 27-year-old defenceman was injured during the pre-season while playing for the Oilers and has yet to make his season debut. As a result, the team didn’t need to make a transaction regarding him to become cap-compliant to start the season.

Now, should Leppänen clear waivers, he’ll head to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, who could surely use his game. He appeared in 53 games for the Condors last season, scoring 11 goals and 38 points.

The Oilers signed Leppänen to a one-year contract out of the Finnish Elite League in April 2025 after he scored 21 goals and 63 points in 60 games for Vaasan Sport. This past summer, the Oilers signed him to another one-year deal.

Here’s some of what DFO Edmonton prospect writer Spencer Pomoty wrote about Leppanen last season:

A bit of progression has been made this year with Atro’s shot selection. Earlier in the year the Condors defenceman was shooting everything and anything, it didn’t matter the angle or place. However Leppänen is now thinking about it before he releases a heavy wrister… Leppänen is such a crafty player from the blueline, however the foot speed is still troubling and he is due to get beat every once in a while on defence. The NHL would be a massive jump for him at this point in his career, but he has adjusted to the North American ice and Leppänen continues to shine offensively.