Breaking: Former first round pick is headed to the waiver wire.

The Florida Panthers have put two players on the waiver wire Tuesday including a former top 10 pick in the National Hockey League Entry Draft.

A report from Panthers insider George Richards of the Miami Herald, former first round pick Dylan McIlwrath and 28-year-old veteran Paul Thompson were both waived by the Panthers, although the motivation for the moves remains unclear.

McIlwrath, a defenseman, was selected 10th overall by the Rangers in 2010 but was never able to live up to his draft pedigree in New York and after just 5 NHL games with the Panthers it appears that Florida also has their doubts about his skills as an NHL defenseman. Despite that there are a number of teams with needs on defense, and that may lead to yet another organization taking a gamble on McIlwrath.

Thompson, a forward, is an undrafted prospect who got his biggest shot in the NHL this season when he played in 21 games for the Panthers, a significant number when you consider he has just 24 career NHL games under his belt. 

However through those 21 games Thompson filled in a depth role and his 3 assists and plus minus rating of -6 over that stretch isn't likely to lead to him being claimed.

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