Two NHL players placed on waivers for Oct. 27

A couple of familiar names have been put on the wire to start the week.

On Monday, Tampa Bay Lightning forward Mitchell Chaffee and Washington Capitals forward Brett Leason were both put on waivers, making them available to the other 31 teams in the NHL.

Chaffee had started the 2025-26 season with the Lightning, playing in each of the team’s first seven games of the season. However, his performance — or lack thereof —led to him being a healthy scratch in the past two contests. The 27-year-old has yet to register a point this season, and has a plus/minus of zero while averaging 11:34 of ice time per game.

The Grand Rapids, Mich. native spent the entire 2024-25 campaign with the Bolts, scoring 12 goals and six assists for 18 points. He also appeared in four games during the team’s first-round series against the Florida Panthers, scoring a goal as well.

If Chaffee clears, he can be assigned to the Lightning’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. It would be the first time since the 2023-24 season that he has been in the minors.

In 105 NHL appearances, Chaffee has scored 16 goals and nine assists for 25 points. In 123 AHL contests, he has registered 42 goals and 47 assists for 89 points.

Leason is expected to join the Capitals’ primary affiliate, the Hershey Bears, after signing a one-year, two-way contract for the remainder of the season. He signed a professional tryout with the Minnesota Wild prior to training camp, and later signed a PTO with the Charlotte Checkers. However, the former Prince Albert Raider has yet to play a game this season.

Leason has spent the past three years with the Anaheim Ducks, potting five goals and 12 assists for 17 points in 62 games last season. In 220 NHL games, the Calgary native has potted 25 goals and 29 assists for 54 points. In 116 AHL contests, he has notched 19 goals and 29 assists for 48 points.