Two NHL players placed on waivers for Dec. 5

Two NHL players were placed on waivers Friday.

Joona Koppanen from the Pittsburgh Penguins and Anton Lundmark from the Florida Panthers were put on waivers Friday afternoon. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Panthers placed Lundmark on waivers for the purpose of a contract termination.

In 10 games with the Penguins this season, Koppanen has one assist and two penalty minutes. He’s also played in six AHL games this season, recording one goal and one assist for two points.

In 30 career NHL games, Koppnanen, 27, has one goal and two assists for three points with the Penguins and Boston Bruins. He’s also played in parts of nine AHL seasons, where he’s scored 54 goals and 85 assists for 139 points in 365 career regular-season games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Providence Bruins.

As for Lundmark, the 24-year-old has only played nine games in North America, going pointless during his stint with the Panthers’ AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers.

In 2024-25, Lundmark scored five goals and four assists for nine points in 49 games with Timra IK in Sweden’s top-tier league. Before that, Lundmark had seven goals and 18 assists for 25 points in 54 games in Sweden’s second-tier league.

The Penguins are 14-7-5 with 33 points in 26 games through the 2025-26 season. They are third in the Metropolitan Division and fourth in the Eastern Conference.

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are tied for the team lead in points with 29, with Crosby leading the team in goals with 18 and Malking leading the way with 21 assists.

The Penguins travel to Texas to take on the Dallas Stars on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Panthers are 12-12-2 with 26 points through their first 26 games. They are currently seventh in the Atlantic Division and second last in the Eastern Conference.

Forward Brad Marchand leads the team in goals and points with 15 and 27, respectively, while Anton Lundell has a team-leading 14 assists.

The Panthers lost 2-1 in overtime against the Nashville Predators Thursday night. They will host the Columbus Blue Jackets Saturday afternoon, then take on the New York Islanders on Sunday.