Stars make a move on the NHL waiver wire today

The NHL waiver wire is never the most exciting place to be in October, but it does give us a little window into what teams are thinking as rosters start to settle in for the long haul. On Tuesday, we got a couple of notable transactions to keep an eye on, with one team making a roster move and another quietly slipping a player through without anyone batting an eye.

Dallas Sends Harrison Scott Through Waivers

The Dallas Stars placed forward Harrison Scott on waivers on Tuesday, with the intention of getting him down to their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars. Scott, 26, had been sitting on the team's non-roster injured list to start the 2026-27 season after dealing with an undisclosed ailment during the preseason. Now that he's apparently healthy enough to go, Dallas needs to run him through waivers before he can officially report to Cedar Park.

For those unfamiliar with Scott, the San Jose native took an interesting path to pro hockey. He spent three seasons at Bentley University before transferring to the University of Maine for his final two collegiate years. That move paid off in a big way, as he put up 33 goals and 62 points across 75 games with the Black Bears and even helped Maine capture a Hockey East Championship and punch a ticket to the NCAA Tournament in 2024-25. He earned a spot on the HEA All-Tournament Team that year, which caught the attention of the Stars enough to sign him as a collegiate free agent.

His transition to the pro game was a bit rocky at first. In six late-season AHL appearances after signing, Scott went pointless and posted a rough minus-6 rating. But the 2025-26 campaign told a much different story. Over 72 regular-season games with Texas, he tallied 18 goals and 32 points, proving himself as a useful depth contributor. He did go cold in the postseason, failing to register a point in five playoff games as the Stars were knocked out by the eventual Western Conference champion Chicago Wolves in the division semifinals.

Scott signed a two-year, two-way contract extension back in June, carrying an NHL cap hit of $875,000 with a minor-league salary of $100,000 this season. Given his profile, it would be a surprise if any of the other 31 teams put in a claim on him. Expect him to clear and head back to Texas, where he is needed. The AHL Stars have stumbled out of the gate with a 1-2-0-1 record and a minus-6 goal differential, so getting Scott back in the lineup should provide a welcome boost to their offensive depth.

Meanwhile, the Flyers Sneak One Through

While Dallas was putting Scott on the wire, the Philadelphia Flyers were celebrating a quiet win of their own. Defenseman Helge Grans, who had been placed on waivers the day before, cleared on Tuesday without a single team putting in a claim. That means the Flyers are free to assign him to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms without losing him for nothing.

Getting Grans through unclaimed is a nice little freebie for Philly. Anytime you can move a player through waivers without another organization scooping him up, you count your blessings and move on. The Flyers will take it.

As for Scott, assuming he clears as expected, the focus turns to what kind of role he can carve out with Texas this season. He showed real growth in his first full pro campaign, and at 26, he is at an age where continued development could make him an interesting depth option for Dallas down the road. For now, though, it is all about getting healthy, getting back on the ice, and helping a struggling AHL squad find its footing early in the year.