34 players placed on waivers today, including five goalies!

With opening night rosters due in less than a week, NHL teams began making difficult decisions on Wednesday as a massive wave of 34 players landed on waivers in a single day!

The deadline crunch is nothing new, but the sheer volume of names this time around is notable. According to Chris Johnston, five goaltenders alone were placed on waivers: Pheonix Copley by Columbus, Jaxson Stauber by Utah, Spencer Martin by the Rangers, Taylor Gauthier by Pittsburgh, and Jonas Johansson by Tampa Bay.

That group of netminders was just the tip of the iceberg. The full list spans nearly every corner of the league, with clubs scrambling to trim rosters ahead of the October 1 deadline.

The Philadelphia Flyers have been the busiest team today, sending a total of six players on the wire, including Zach Aston-Reese, Cam Dineen (PHI), Nolan Foote, Carl Grundstrom, Danila Klimovich and Jack Studnicka. The Golden Knights were also quite active in Vegas with five players, Jeremy Davies, Jakub Demek, Joe Fleming, Adam Ginning and Jaycob Megna getting placed on waivers.

The Toronto Maple Leafs also made some moves with one catching attention. They waived veteran blue liner Dakota Mermis, who is heading into the second season of his two-year deal with Toronto. Last season, he only took part in 11 games with the Leafs, scoring his first NHL goal since the 2023-24 season, but spent most of the time with the AHL’s Marlies when he could be heading back to.

Here is the complete list:

Maxence Guenette (BOS)
Pheonix Copley (CBJ)
James Malatesta (CBJ)
Owen Sillinger (CBJ)
Domenick Fensore (COL)
Christian Wolanin (COL)
Ronald Attard (DET)
Wilmer Skoog (DET)
Ozzy Wiesblatt (NSH)
Spencer Martin (NYR)
Zach Aston-Reese (PHI)
Cam Dineen (PHI)
Nolan Foote (PHI)
Carl Grundstrom (PHI)
Danila Klimovich (PHI)
Jack Studnicka (PHI)
Taylor Gauthier (PIT)
Ethan Cardwell (SJS)
Tye Felhaber (SJS)
Libor Hajek (SJS)
Jonas Johansson (TBL)
Cole McWard (TOR)
Dakota Mermis (TOR)
Cameron Hebig (UTA)
Montana Onyebuchi (UTA)
Jaxson Stauber (UTA)
Cole Clayton (VAN)
Trey Fix-Wolansky (VAN)
Jimmy Schuldt (VAN)
Jeremy Davies (VGK)
Jakub Demek (VGK)
Joe Fleming (VGK)
Adam Ginning (VGK)
Jaycob Megna (VGK)

Whether any of Wednesday's 34 names get claimed remains to be seen. Copley and Johansson could attract attention from goaltender-needy clubs, with fans already speculating that the Winnipeg Jets might put in a claim on one of the two.

With the start of the 2026-27 season, the waiver wire is only going to get busier. With rosters due in under a week, more cuts are inevitable, and a few of these names could find new homes before the regular season begins.

Yesterday, it was 15 players that were placed on the wire, including Detroit Red Wings forward Dominik Shine and New York Rangers defenseman Urho Vaakanainen. Everyone cleared and can be sent to their AHL clubs.