Two Players Placed on Waivers Including Former First Round Pick
Waivers have been very quiet in the NHL as of late, but on Sunday, we saw the Islanders and Devils waive intriguing names, including a former first-round pick.
Early in the 2024/25 season, we've seen waiver activity slow significantly after a crazy off-season that saw upwards of 50 players placed on waivers on a single day. Now, there has just been two in the latest update from Elliotte Friedman, who reveals that New Jersey and New York have both placed one player each on waivers.
For the Islanders, it's former first-round draft pick Julien Gauthier, who came to the team a season ago to solid success, tallying 5 goals and 9 points in 27 games played, while he also played 17 games with their AHL affiliate the Bridgeport Islanders. Now, that appears to be his destination for the 2024/25 campaign, as he was placed on waivers Sunday after appearing in just one of the team's five games this season, recording no points in that one outing.
On top of Gauthier we've also seen New Jersey place former third-round pick Adam Beckman on waivers after he was acquired by the Devils in the off-season after spending the last five years with the Minnesota Wild organization.
Last season in Minnesota, the 23-year old tallied just two assists in 11 games with the team, and despite productive years in the AHL, the team thought it was best to move on from the talented young forward. With no games played for the Devils this season, they likely see his role as a depth forward in the AHL as well, but he could be an intriguing addition for a rival team.
Ultimately, there haven't been many big waiver days in the NHL as of late, although we've seen some big names find themselves onto waivers, but keep a close eye on these two as they could be solid additions for teams looking for depth up front.
