Dakota Mermis and Cole McWard hit the waiver wire yesterday in what was the first really big list to drop, a move that definitely caught some eyes. Waivers have been rolling for a few days now, but this one felt pretty interesting, especially when you think about how teams usually handle this stuff.
What These Waivers Actually Tell Us
First off, let’s get something straight: waivers aren’t some kind of “get rid” button. Especially right now, at the start of the NHL season, it’s about players on NHL contracts getting “loaned” to the AHL or ECHL. That’s the term, because that’s what’s happening. Normally, the Leafs would keep their top Marlies guys at main camp until the end of preseason and send the ECHL/lower AHL players to play the AHL preseason games. But yesterday, we saw Mermis and McWard waived, and frankly, there’s a thought that the team might have been worried Mermis wouldn’t clear waivers if they waited longer and someone on the NHL roster got hurt. Good news though: everyone who hit waivers yesterday cleared!
The Final Roster Crunch Is Coming Fast
So, who else is in the waiver mix? William Villeneuve, who’s still recovering from surgery, is on that list, and he’s expected to sit on SOIR until he’s fit to join the Marlies. He’ll still need to clear waivers then, but there aren’t any cap implications for the team from that. As for other players possibly getting claimed, it’s a super low risk. Unless some team desperately wants a “guy to fight” and snags Michael Pezzetta, most players aren’t likely to be picked up. Remember, claiming someone on waivers means you plan to play them in the NHL. So while there’s a small risk for Mermis, it’s even smaller for any other defender with real NHL experience.
The deadline for cap-compliant NHL rosters, maxing out at 23 players not on IR, is Monday at 5 PM. That means rosters are gonna get cleared out fast, with waivers on Saturday and Sunday set to be big events. We also saw some other moves yesterday: Matt Hellickson, Adam Kydd, Joe Miller, and Max Smolinski were assigned to the Cincinnati Cyclones in the ECHL. Plus, Alexander Bilecki, Tyler Hopkins, and Harry Nansi have been sent back to their OHL teams. Get ready, because the final roster picture is about to snap into place!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pension Plan Puppets.
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