Pierre Engvall, Justin Holl headline NHL waivers for Oct. 6

On the final day before NHL teams are mandated to finalize their rosters, a number of big names are among the 59 players who were placed on waivers on Sunday.

One of the notable names on the list is New York Islanders forward Pierre Engvall. The 28-year-old was planning on entering his second full season with the club, but management has obviously elected to make a change. Last season, Engvall scored 10 goals and 28 points in 74 games, just a couple of points shy of matching his 30-point performance in 2022-23, which saw the Islanders acquire the Swedish winger from the Toronto Maple Leafs in February of that season.

What is puzzling about the decision to put Engvall on waivers is his current contract situation. In July 2023, he signed a seven-year contract with the Islanders, with an annual cap hit of $3 million through the 2029-30 season. In 318 career games, Engvall has scored 57 goals and 63 assists, including eight points in 28 playoff appearances.

Justin Holl was put on waivers by the Detroit Red Wings. The 32-year-old signed a three-year contract with the Original Six franchise in July 2023, with an AAV of $3.4 million. He came to Detroit after a six-year tenure with the Maple Leafs, with the expectation that he would bolster the team’s blue line. However, Holl struggled and was a healthy scratch multiple times. In 38 games with the Wings, the Minnesotan registered just five assists, playing an average of 15:05 of ice time.

Erik Brannstrom was put on waivers by the Vancouver Canucks, just hours after the team acquired the defenseman from the Colorado Avalanche for Tucker Poolman and a fourth-round pick. Brannstrom is coming off his best season during his NHL tenure, registering three goals and 20 points in 76 games for the Ottawa Senators. Brannstrom signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with the Avs this past offseason after the Sens didn’t extend a qualifying offer.

The Maple Leafs placed one of its many netminders on waivers, as Matt Murray hit the wire on Sunday. The 30-year-old didn’t play at all last season while recovering from injury. While he signed a one-year contract to stay in Toronto, Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz have worked themselves into being the duo for the Leafs.

A former first-round pick might be heading back to the minors, as the Calgary Flames put Jakob Pelletier on waivers. The 23-year-old was taken by the Flames 18th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft. Unfortunately, Pelletier hasn’t been able to put his game together at the NHL level. In 2023-24, he played in just 13 games with the Flames, scoring a goal and three points. Across two seasons, Pelletier has played in 37 games, scoring four goals and 10 points.

James Reimer was placed on waivers by the Buffalo Sabres. The veteran goaltender signed a one-year contract with the Sabres this past offseason after spending the 2023-24 campaign as one of the three goaltenders in Detroit. It looked like he might’ve been a veteran presence for Buffalo, but it looks like the Sabres are ready to run with Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukonen as the team’s duo between the pipes.

Edmonton Oilers’ forward Raphael Lavoie looks to be heading back to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. The former Halifax Moosehead re-signed with the Oilers for another year this past summer after playing seven games with the big club last season.

The Senators put Jan Jenik on waivers as well, just three months after the team acquired him from the Utah Hockey Club, signing him to a one-year contract back in July.

Here is the full list of players placed on waivers on Sunday:

17 players were placed on waivers on Tuesday, including members of the Anaheim Ducks, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers and Seattle Kraken. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, all players cleared.