There were a great deal of players cut from NHL teams’ training camps today (October 2), many of which must pass through waivers before reporting to their AHL teams. Among the group are some fairly talented young prospects who could surprise with a chance on another team.
Teams that should be interested and consider these interesting players are those who are rebuilding and have roster spots open in the NHL to give them a shot. Here are the three NHL prospects on waivers worth giving a shot who can be claimed off of waivers.
Kole Lind
Kole Lind spent most of last season, the Seattle Kraken’s first in the minors. He was chosen in the expansion draft and impressed in some of the 23 games he got into with the Kraken. The 23-year-old is one of the team’s top prospects and should get a look at one point this season, but the forward group is very deep this season.
Related: Stat Hockey’s Seattle Kraken 2022-23 Line Projections
Lind scored two goals and eight points in those games playing mostly on the fourth line. Head coach Dave Hakstol started to trust the rookie, but with the logjam created by acquiring many forwards, Lind was pushed out. There was an opportunity for him to serve as the 13th forward, but the Kraken elected to send him down to the AHL.
Matthew Phillips
Matthew Phillips had a strong preseason but was a part of the most recent cuts. He, along with Jakob Pelletier, were outstanding in the AHL last season. Phillips finished first on the team in points and finished ninth in the league in scoring with 31 goals and 68 points.
The 24-year-old is an older prospect who has yet to receive a shot in the NHL, playing in just one game in 2020-21. Some players are late bloomers, but he could surely slot into the bottom-six of an NHL team and produce points. That sort of AHL production can’t be ignored and he deserves a shot to see if it can translate over to the NHL.
Alex Nylander
Alex Nylander may be running out of chances, but it’s not like he hasn’t been able to produce. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins mid-season in 2021-22 and scored 14 goals and 30 points in 44 AHL games. His last season in the NHL came in 2019-20 when he scored 10 goals and 26 points in 65 games. That’s solid production for a bottom-six player, and he has the skillset to become a NHL-regular in his career.
The Penguins once again didn’t give him a chance, but this former eighth overall pick is still worth taking a chance on, especially if he can get in some games in a middle-six role with an opportunity to put up points.
These are the three most intriguing NHL prospects on waivers teams should keep an eye out for tonight.
