Ethan Bear, Michael DiPietro headline NHL waivers for Oct. 4

A few familiar names have been placed on waivers across the NHL, as 25 names were put on the wire on Friday.

The Washington Capitals placed defenseman Ethan Bear on waivers. It has been a tough year for the 27-year-old, as he entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in late March, just a couple of months after signing a two-year contract with the Capitals. Bear was able to exit the program a few weeks after the 2023-24 regular season, and only played 24 games, scoring a goal and three assists. He last appeared in an NHL game on March 13.

The Regina, Saskatchewan native has appeared in 275 NHL games, playing for both the Edmonton Oilers and Carolina Hurricanes. Bear has totaled 17 goals and 50 assists, also playing in eight postseason games for the Oilers.

One of the other notable names on Friday’s list was goaltender Michael DiPietro. The former junior star was put on the wire by the Boston Bruins, two days removed from when the team claimed Jiri Patera from the Vancouver Canucks. Prior to Patera coming to Boston, it looked as if DiPietro was going to be the No. 3 goaltender on the depth chart with Jeremy Swayman remaining unsigned.

DiPietro has spent most of his career in the minors, both during his time with the Bruins and Canucks’ organizations. Last season with the AHL’s Providence Bruins, the former Ottawa 67 went 18-9-2 in 30 appearances with a 2.51 goals-against average, a .918 save percentage and four shutouts.

Here is the full list of players put on waivers on Friday:

Anaheim Ducks: Jansen Harkins
Boston Bruins: Michael DiPietro, Vinni Lettieri, Jordan Oesterle
Florida Panthers: William Lockwood
Los Angeles Kings: Taylor Ward
New Jersey Devils: Justin Dowling, Mike Hardman, Samuel Laberge, Nathan Legare, Max Willman
Philadelphia Flyers: Olle Lycksell, Anthony Richard
Pittsburgh Penguins: Emil Bemström, Nathan Clurman, Jonathan Gruden, Joona Koppanen, Filip Kral, John Ludvig, Sam Poulin
Tampa Bay Lightning: Matt Tomkins
Toronto Maple Leafs: Alex Steeves
Washington Capitals: Ethan Bear, Luke Philp, Michael Sgarbossa

The plethora of names placed on waivers on Friday is much more than what we saw on Thursday, as 17 players from the Calgary Flames, Panthers, Nashville Predators, Seattle Kraken, Maple Leafs, Utah Hockey Club and Winnipeg Jets were added to the wire. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, all players cleared.