We are now just four days away from the official start of the NHL season. But maybe more importantly for the Vancouver Canucks, we’re just three days away from teams across the NHL having to make their final wave of roster cuts.

As we’ve covered, the Canucks have first waiver priority – and will hold that position until November 1 – to scoop up any players that interest them on the waiver wire after finishing last in the NHL standings last season. And wouldn’t you know it, the Canucks used their top priority to claim Ottawa Senators goaltender Leevi Meriläinen, who was our top target. Read all about that here!

Here is who the Canucks passed over on yesterday’s waiver wire:

Carolina Hurricanes: Viktor Neuchev (F), Zachary Sawchenko (G), and Ronan Seeley (D)
Dallas Stars: Kyle Burroughs (D) and Matthew Seminoff (F)
Los Angeles Kings: Martin Chromiak (F), Cole Guttman (F), Joe Hicketts (D), Lane Pederson (F), and Francesco Pinelli (F)
Minnesota Wild: Caeden Bankier (F), Dylan Gambrell (F), Matt Kiersted (D), Justin Kirkland (F), Carson Lambos (D), Tyler Pitlick (F), Roman Schmidt (D), and Mason Shaw (F)
Nashville Predators: Matthew Murray (G)
Pittsburgh Penguins: Philip Kemp (D)
Toronto Maple Leafs: Brendan Brisson (F), Vinni Lettieri (F), Steven Lorentz (F), Philippe Myers (D), Michael Pezzetta (F), Marshal Rifai (D), Henrik Rybinski (F), and Ryan Tverberg (F)

Matthew Stienburg, whom the Canucks placed on waivers yesterday, has cleared and will report to AHL Abbotsford.

Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, everybody but Meriläinen cleared.

Over double the players are hitting waivers on Friday. Here is today’s list of players on the wire:

Anaheim Ducks: Sean Farrell (F), Nathan Gaucher (F), James Hamblin (F), Corey Schueneman (F), and Jett Woo (D)
Boston Bruins: Brendan Gaunce (F), Brian Halonen (F), Jordan Harris (D), Jiri Patera (G), Billy Sweezey (D)
Buffalo Sabres: Mason Geertsen (D), Dennis Gilbert (D), Ryan Johnson (D), Trevor Kuntar (F), Aidan McDonough (F), Carson Meyer (F), Jason Polin (F), and Matt Villalta (G)
Carolina Hurricanes: Skyler Brind’Amour (F), Aleksi Heimosalmi (D), Juha Jaaska (F), Pierre-Olivier Joseph (D), and Justin Robidas (F)
Columbus Blue Jackets: Corson Ceulemans (D) and Colton White (D)
Calgary Flames: Michael Benning (D), Andreas Englund (D), Dryden Hunt (F), Ben Jones (F), Rory Kerins (F), Jake Livingstone (D), Sam Morton (F), and William Strömgren (F)
Chicago Blackhawks: Connor Mackey (D)
Edmonton Oilers: Josh Brown (D), Riley Stillman (D), and Eduards Tralmaks (F)
Nashville Predators: Hunter Skinner (D)
New York Rangers: Anton Blidh (F), Marc Del Gaizo (D), Glenn Gawdin (F), and William Trudeau (D)
San Jose Sharks: Eric Comrie (G) and Jimmy Huntington (F)
St. Louis Blues: Jack Finley (F), Oskar Sundqvist (F), Nathan Walker (F)
Tampa Bay Lightning: Simon Lundmark (D), Olivier Rodrigue (G), and Steven Santini (D)
Utah Mammoth: Zachary Jones (D), Joshua Roy (F), and Brandon Tanev (F)
Washington Capitals: Joshua Dunne (F), Mitchell Gibson (G), Jacob MacDonald (D), and Bogdan Trineyev (F)
Winnipeg Jets: Nikita Chibrikov (F), Parker Ford (F), Noah Gregor (F), and Isaak Phillips (D)

It wouldn’t be a waivers list without a handful of ex-Canucks: Jett Woo, Brendan Gaunce, Jiri Patera, Aidan McDonough, PO Joseph, and Riley Stillman. The only one from this list we could potentially see the Canucks claiming is Joseph, if they’re looking for a veteran seventh defenceman. However, more enticing names are projected to get waived between today and Monday who could also fill that role.

In terms of the young players that hit waivers today, we have: Farrell (24), Gaucher (22), Johnson (25), Kuntar (25), Heimosalmi (23), Robidas (23), Ceulemans (23), Benning (24), Kerins (24), Strömgren (23), Skinner (25), Trudeau (23), Finley (24), Lundmark (25), Jones (25), Roy (23), Trineyev (24), Chibrikov (23) and Phillips (24).

With 61 players getting waived today, we won’t bore you by running through all of them. However, here are some interesting names. We’ll start on the backend since there are only a couple.

Jordan Harris is a 26-year-old 6′, left-shot defenceman who has played 172 NHL games over the last five seasons and only four NHL games. He could be of interest as a depth defensive defenceman in Vancouver. Corson Ceulemans is a 2021 first-round pick (25th overall) who just hasn’t been able to live up to his draft choice. Since turning pro in 2022, Ceulemans has battled injuries through four AHL seasons, logging a career high of 64 games last season. If he’s put the injuries behind him, he could be a value add.

Overall, this defensive crop of waivers isn’t great. Forward-wise, however, there are many more intriguing names.

Justin Robidas, son of former Dallas Stars defenceman Stéphane Robidas, has a very interesting scoring profile. In 2024-25, Robidas scored 20 goals and 55 points in 70 games with the Chicago Wolves. He bested that this past season, scoring 23 goals and 60 points in just 58 games, adding seven goals and 16 points in 21 postseason games. Even in his two cups of coffee at the NHL level, Robidas produced, scoring one goal and three points in just four games. The offensive skill is evident by his point totals, but his 5’8″ size is what likely has hurt him in trying to carve out an NHL career.

If Chytil ‘s injury is significant and the Canucks need a centre to fill in right away, the Calgary Flames waived a potential centre option that caught our eye: Rory Kerins.

Kerins is a 5’10” centre who has done nothing but produce in the AHL over the last three seasons. He’s scored 71 goals and 150 points in 173 AHL games, while earning two stints in the NHL over the last two years, picking up four assists in nine games.

Jack Finley could be another centre option. Six-foot-six, 233-lb right-shot centremen don’t grow on trees. Finley doesn’t have the best scoring profile in his 45 career NHL games – two goals and five points – and he doesn’t really at the AHL level either. But again, you can’t teach size. That said, the Canucks had the chance to claim Finley last season and passed on him; they are likely to do the same this go-around.

Potentially the most surprising player to hit waivers today was forward Brandon Tanev, brother of former Canucks defenceman Chris. At 34, his best years of hockey are behind him – that’s evident by a zero-goal, three-assist 56-game season last year. However, if the Canucks want to make themselves tougher to play against, Tanev would bring that to a bottom six. Imagine a fourth line of him and Brendan Gallagher? That would be a pesky duo to play against. However, with two years remaining at $2.5 million annually, that likely keeps the Canucks away.

For our money, there are really only two good options and one decent one. If the Canucks want to fill potential holes at seventh defenceman and a centre injury replacement for Chytil, then they should look at Harris and Kerins. But if the Canucks want a player who might actually have some staying power, a look at Robidas makes the most sense.

We’ll see if the Canucks act. Either way, check back tomorrow for another NHL waivers check-in!

What do you think, Canucks fans? Is there anybody who hit waivers on September 25 that you want to see the Canucks claim on the NHL waiver wire? Let us know in the comments below!