25 placed on waivers including a 2019 first-round pick

With the regular season fast approaching, teams are finalizing their lineups, and several key players were put on waivers today. When a player is waived, the rest of the league has a 24-hour period to claim him. If nobody does, he can be reassigned to the minors by the team that waived him. The two players most shocking to hit waivers today are Ethan Bear of the Washington Capitals and Samuel Poulin of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who was a former first-round pick.

Ethan Bear is a smooth-skating, puck-moving defenseman. Last year, the right-handed blue-liner played as a reliable number four or five defenseman among the Canucks, even seeing time next to Quinn Hughes on the top defensive pair. Vancouver had planned to re-sign him, but surgery for a shoulder injury sustained while playing for Team Canada in the 2023 IIHF World Championship shelved Bear for the start of the next season, so with his timeline for recovery uncertain, the Canucks moved on, and the Capitals took their place in signing Bear to a two-year contract. Bear, last season, suited up in 24 games for the Capitals. At times, he did struggle, as his two-way performance suffered. He entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program in March and returned about a month later.

The Capitals' defensive depth, including John Carlson, Matt Roy, and Trevor van Riemsdyk, left Bear on the outside looking in. While his defensive play can be spotty at times, his skating and puck-handling abilities offer real value at the NHL level. The biggest concern for teams considering claiming him would be his $2.062 million cap hit, as his contract is set to expire at the end of the season.

Samuel Poulin is big and physical, having been selected 21st in the 2019 draft. He brings a hard-nosed style of play. After some struggles getting accustomed to pro hockey, mainly due to concerns about his skating, Poulin did take a pretty substantial break during the 2022-23 season to work on his mental health. When he returned, he got into a rhythm in the AHL with 31 points in 41 games. He has the potential to be an effective NHL player if he can work on his skating.

Fans will be keeping an eye on which players from this lengthy list get claimed, and which ones get sent down to their respective junior clubs. One thing is for sure, there is no shortage of big name players being waived this year, and today is once again no exception.