22 NHL players placed on waivers for Oct. 2
More players are on the wire today. 22 NHL players were placed on waivers on Thursday, making them available to the other 31 teams in the league.
One of the more notable names placed on the new wire was Utah Mammoth defenseman Scott Perunovich. The former New York Islander signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Mammoth, carrying a cap hit of $775,000, with a minor-league salary of $400,000. The Hobey Baker Award winner has spent considerable time in the NHL, but has struggled to find consistency in the big leagues, largely due to injuries and rough performances on the ice.
Perunovich started last season with the St. Louis Blues, but was dealt to the Isles in January. In 35 games last season, he scored two goals and seven assists for nine points. In 108 career NHL appearances, the 27-year-old has scored two goals and 30 assists for 32 points.
The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward Danton Heinen on waivers. Heinen is in his second stint with the Penguins after being a return piece in the trade that saw Marcus Pettersson head to the Vancouver Canucks. Heinen ended up scoring nine goals and 20 assists for 29 points last season, down from his 36-point performance with the Boston Bruins during the 2023-24 campaign.
Heinen’s entering the final year of his two-year contract that he signed with Vancouver in July 2024. The deal has a cap hit of $2.25 million with a modified no-trade clause. In 566 NHL games, the Langley, B.C. native has scored 96 goals and 145 assists for 241 points, with another 13 points in 48 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Speaking of the Canucks, the team put forward Vitali Kravtsov on the wire. He signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Canucks in August, returning to the team he last played for during the 2022-23 season. The Russian winger has spent the past two seasons with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the Kontinental Hockey League, scoring 92 points in 121 games. In 64 NHL contests, Kravtsov has scored six goals and six assists for 12 points.
Here’s the full list of players on waivers for Thursday:
Calgary Flames: Rory Kerins, Ivan Prosvetov, Ilya Solovyov
Columbus Blue Jackets: Daemon Hunt
Edmonton Oilers: Cam Dineen, Riley Stillman
Pittsburgh Penguins: Sebastian Aho, Danton Heinen, Philip Kemp, Joona Kopponen, Filip Larsson, Valtteri Puustinen
Seattle Kraken: Ben Meyers, Mitchell Stephens
Utah Mammoth: Ben McCartney, Scott Perunovich
Vancouver Canucks: Vitali Kravtsov
Vegas Golden Knights: Dylan Coghlan, Tanner Laczynski, Raphael Lavoie, Jaycob Megna, Cole Schwindt
Of the 38 players placed on waivers on Wednesday, only former Los Angeles Kings goaltender Pheonix Copley was claimed, as he is now heading to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The rest cleared, and, outside of Christian Jaros, are eligible to join their respective American Hockey League affiliates.