Three NHL players placed on waivers for Oct. 8

A couple of players are on a path back to the minors.

On Tuesday, New Jersey Devils forward Stefan Noesen, San Jose Sharks winger Brett Leason and Detroit Red Wings forward Chase Stillman were placed on waivers, making them available to the other 31 teams in the NHL.

If the three players clear waivers on Friday, they can be assigned to their respective American Hockey League franchises.

Noesen is certainly a surprising name. He has been solely in the NHL for the past four seasons with both the Devils and Carolina Hurricanes. He only appeared in 38 games last season after suffering a knee injury in January, which required surgery, effectively ending his campaign. The 33-year-old scored just three goals and seven points in 2025-26. He has played in two games for New Jersey so far this season, but hasn’t scored a point. He also had a plus/minus of -2 and averaged just 7:24 of ice time.

The Plano, Texas native is in his third and final season of his current contract, which carries a cap hit of $2.75 million. In 484 regular-season games, Noesen has posted 83 goals and 175 points, plus 15 points in 35 Stanley Cup Playoff contests.

Leason also made his NHL club’s opening-night roster, but hasn’t seen any action thus far. He signed a one-year, $850,000 deal with the Sharks after spending last season in the Washington Capitals system. The 27-year-old appeared in just six games with the Caps, scoring no points. However, he did notch 14 goals and 44 points in 56 regular-season contests with the Hershey Bears, adding two more goals in six Calder Cup Playoff games.

In 226 NHL games, the Calgary native has posted 25 goals and 54 points, having also scored 91 points in 170 regular-season games in the AHL.

Stillman was on the Red Wings’ injured/non-roster list to start the new campaign, with many expecting him to join the team’s top farm team, the Grand Rapids Griffins. He came to Detroit on a one-year, two-way contract, with an NHL cap hit of $850,000, and a minor-league salary of $95,000. He was an unrestricted free agent after the Vancouver Canucks didn’t extend him a qualifying offer this past summer.

The former first-round pick has never played an NHL game, spending his first four seasons of pro hockey in the AHL. After starting with the Utica Comets, the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired him in the Cody Glass trade before the 2024-25 trade deadline. Then, he was dealt to the Canucks in exchange for Arturs Silovs the following summer.

Stillman appeared in just 24 games last year with the Abbotsford Canucks, scoring three goals and nine points. In 145 AHL games, the 23-year-old has posted 21 goals and 45 points.

Only Florida Panthers forward MacKenzie Entwistle was put on waivers on Wednesday. He cleared and will be assigned to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.