Greetings, fellow watchers of the waiver wire.

A week or so ago, we discussed the idea that the NHL’s perpetually rising cap ceiling might have a few unintended consequences, beyond the salary escalation we’re already experiencing in full force. One of those unintended consequences was a higher quality of player becoming available via waivers at the start of each season.

The thinking goes that more cap space means that teams can hold on to their pre-existing roster players easier, which makes it tougher for younger replacement players to break through, which leads to some of them falling through the cracks and winding up on the waiver wire after running out of exemption time. This is, of course, something that happens every year with waivers. It just stands to happen more, and to more talented players, in this new, cap-flush era.

That could have some immediate relevance to the Vancouver Canucks. While we think this waiver phenomenon will really kick off in the coming years, there already should be better players available on waivers this preseason than there usually are. And this preseason in particular, the Canucks have top claim on anyone who hits waivers. As the last-place finisher last year, the Canucks will stay in that top spot until November, regardless of how many claims they do or do not make.

With all that said and in mind, we thought it’d be good to throw together some samples of the kinds of players who might be available. It is admittedly a little tricky to gauge and guess how other franchises are going to handle the fringes of their roster. Some of these players will wind up waived, others won’t. What we went looking for, in specific, were under-25, waiver-eligible players who have already shown some considerable talent – either through their draft position or their production at lower levels thereafter – but who have yet to break onto their current team’s roster full-time. We’re talking players who rank about 13^th or 14^th on the forward depth chart, or 8^th or 9^th on the D chart, and are thus in danger of losing their spot outright at camp. Most of the players we’ll list will be newly waiver-eligible as of this season, having just become old and experienced enough.

We’re also looking for those players who may be able to rise higher on a depth chart in a different situation, like perhaps an opportunity with the rebuilding Vancouver Canucks. That said, the Canucks have plenty of players around the fringe of their own roster, and then a lot more coming over the next few years. If the Canucks were to pluck someone off waivers this year, it’d probably be one player at the most. Even then, however, there are some interesting names to consider. Here are those names. (All cap hits are $1.25 million or less, for the record!)

Poitras seems like a classic case of a player who was rushed into the NHL a little early. He was a full-time Bruin in his Draft+2 season, but only played in 33 games (15 points) that year. That’s an unusual path for any prospect, but especially one drafted in the second round.

As a sophomore, Poitras played another 33 games, and only scored 11 points. By then, he was eligible for AHL deployment, and so went there for 40 games, scoring 41 points.

Last season, however, Poitras continued to plateau for a third straight year. He only played three games in the NHL, and another 69 in the AHL, where his point total dropped down to 44.

Now, Poitras is in tough to make the Bruins roster with a bunch of other young centres and forwards having leapfrogged him, including Frazer Minten and James Hagens. Poitras is about 15^th or 16^th on the forward rankings right now.

Whether he actually hits waivers depends on his camp. Whether the Canucks take a flyer on him probably depends on the opinion of new assistant coach Ryan Mougenel, who coached Poitras in Providence for the past two seasons. 

When we talked about plucking good players from waivers, we envisioned them mostly coming from the best and brightest franchises around the NHL. But there’s also potential to rob from other rebuilds who are a little further down the rebuilding road, and who may have become a little overstuffed with youth. The Blackhawks are the prime example of that.

As it stands, the Blackhawks have at least one too many D for their 2026-27 roster, and unless there’s a significant preseason injury, someone is going to get cut. Right now, the top candidates are Korchinski and Ethan del Maestro. Of the two, Korchinski’s name stands out because he’s just a few years away from being drafted at seventh overall. But Korchinski, despite his abundance of talent, has never really got it going at the NHL level.

Given his draft pedigree, it should be noted that the Blackhawks would likely shop Korchinski around a bit prior to waiving him, but that could still be a very cheap acquisition price.

Of the two Chicago D here, Korchinski is the more famous name, but most who watch the Hawks say that Del Maestro has the better chance of a lengthy NHL future. He’s got the size, the skating, the physicality, and the willingness to play a hard-nosed, stay-at-home style.

Right now, he’s got the edge on Korchinski. But if Korchinski has a good camp, it’s probably Del Maestro who hits waivers instead. The Canucks might not really be looking for much in the way of additional D at this time, but there’s no reason they couldn’t grab someone like this as their 4LD for the season and leave Kirill Kudryavtsev down on the farm for a bit longer.

Schwindt is a player who has spent the bulk of his career in some locations that are difficult to break into. He was drafted by Florida, went to Calgary for a year via the Matthew Tkachuk trade, picked up by Vegas, and then again by Florida. As a result, he’s only got 78 NHL games under his belt.

Schwindt is a little older than most of the names on this list, and he is, in fact, a waiver veteran. Schwindt was been waived twice, but he’s also been picked up from waivers twice – once by Vegas in 2024, and again by Florida in 2025. That’s a good sign that there’s something to Schwindt, and scouts still see a big body that can move well and be a physical net-front presence on the lower lines.

With Florida back to full strength up front, it’s quite likely that Schwindt loses his spot again, and takes a third trip through the waiver wire.

Sebrango, like Schwindt, has already been waived, and already been picked up on waivers, going from Ottawa to Florida last year. This season, he’s probably on the outside looking in at a restored Panthers blueline.

We already mentioned we don’t think the Canucks are outright looking for more depth D, but if they do pick one up, it will probably be someone like Sebrango: big, tough, and with a hard-nosed style. Sebrango’s fight card includes names like Ryan Reaves and Florian Xhekaj, so he makes some sense as another pseudo-enforcer, if the Canucks feel the need for any further additions in that department.

Here’s the highest-drafted name in our article, and one you’re undoubtedly familiar list from past trade wishlists. Turcotte is a player with a ton of offensive skill, but who has never really put it together in any meaningful way.

Turcotte has been waiver-eligible for a minute now, but the Kings have been keeping him up in the NHL to avoid the wire, despite diminishing returns. In 2024-25, Turcotte managed 25 points in 68 games, and some thought he might be breaking out. Last year, however, that dropped back down to 14 points in 62 games, and Turcotte was a healthy scratch for all but one playoff game.

With some new forwards incoming, it seems likely that the Kings pull the plug and finally waive Turcotte this season.

Whether the Canucks, or anyone else, considers a claim probably comes down to what the pro scouts think about that long-untapped potential. 

One of the funner characters on our list is Weisblatt, an old-school agitator in the Jarkko Ruutu mould. Weisblatt plays with a great pace and relentless energy, is constantly throwing his body around, and successfully gets under the skin of countless opponents.

Remind you of anyone else coming out of the Nashville Predators system recently?

The Predators might not want to get rid of Weisblatt, but with so many younger forwards pushing for time there, it may come down to a numbers game. His fourth line profile seems like the kind that many teams might be interested in acquiring from waivers, but the Canucks would have first pick.

In full disclosure here, the primary draw to Amadeus Lombardi is one of the coolest names in hockey. But he’s also a player who the Red Wings identified as someone they were likely to lose on waivers this upcoming season, which is why they flipped him to New Jersey for a fourth round pick.

There’s no real guarantee Lombardi makes the New Jersey roster, either. He’s an incredibly fleet skater said to have a high offensive ceiling, and he’s certainly shown that at the AHL level. Someone is going to give him a real shot, or at least some NHL games, eventually. 

Take one guess what Soderblom’s key attribute is.

After failing to make much noise with the Red Wings over three seasons, the enormous Soderblom was flipped to the Penguins last season for a third round pick – perhaps in anticipation of losing him on waivers otherwise eventually.

After arriving in Pittsburgh, Soderblom put up ten points in 20 games. That would ordinarily secure his spot for next season, but the Penguins happen to have one of the most overstuffed forward corps in the league right now. Unless they trade a body or two, Soderblom currently ranks about 15^th or 16^th on their forward depth chart heading into the preseason, and that’s a recipe for a waiving if we’ve ever heard one.

Melanson is a heavy winger who plays an abrasive and disruptive style. He’s got a bit of offensive shine to him, too, but mostly thrives by throwing his body around, starting fights, and getting to the tough areas of the ice.

If possible, it’d be an added to bonus to steal a player like this from the geographic rivals in Seattle. And that Melanson ranks about 15^th on the Kraken forward depth chart means it probably is possible.