The NHL waiver wire has always produced interesting names, but with some teams lacking the cap space to submit a full 23-man roster, there’s more talent available than usual.
Waiver claims have historically been hit-and-miss in terms of providing legitimate NHL value, but occasionally, there are some hidden gems. In 2021, for example, Florida claimed Gustav Forsling off waivers from the Carolina Hurricanes. Forsling’s been a seamless fit with the Panthers and is slated to open this season on the club’s top pair next to Aaron Ekblad.
More than 60 players hit waivers on Sunday in advance of NHL teams submitting their opening rosters on Monday. Here are some of the most intriguing names.
Aleksi Heponiemi, Florida Panthers
Heponiemi deserved to make Florida’s roster after an impressive preseason, but the Panthers can only afford to carry 21 players due to their cap crunch. The 23-year-old is an undersized winger with very crafty playmaking skills — he scored 118 points over 57 games in the WHL in his draft-plus-one campaign after being drafted at No. 40 in 2017.
Heponiemi found immediate professional success after that, scoring 46 points in 50 games in Finland’s top men’s league (SM-Liiga) in his age-19 season. That didn’t translate the same way in North America though as it took until last season for him to find his stride in the AHL.
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