As the countdown to the NHL’s highly anticipated 2025/26 season draws ever closer, the league’s waiver wire has suddenly become the hottest topic in hockey circles.

Friday brought a surprising flurry of activity, with the Toronto Maple Leafs at the center of attention after an unexpected move involving a familiar name. With rosters across the league in flux and teams scrambling to finalize their lineups, fans and analysts alike are left wondering what’s really happening behind the scenes.

The Maple Leafs, long known for their depth at forward, made headlines by placing not one, but two players on waivers—one of whom has been a fixture on their roster for years.

This decision, coming after an off-season of minimal subtraction and notable additions, has left many questioning the team’s strategy as the season approaches. But Toronto isn’t the only team making waves. Elsewhere, a former top draft pick finds himself in limbo, and several other players face uncertain futures just days before the puck drops.

With so many moving pieces and a weekend of roster decisions looming, the stage is set for more surprises. What prompted these bold moves? And which teams will take advantage of the shifting landscape? The answers may be more unexpected than you think.

David Kampf of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Photo credit: Daily Faceoff

NHL waivers have been busy as of late, and on Friday, David Kampf leads a group of 12 players that have officially been waived by their teams.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a surplus of NHL forwards, but to this point in time, they’ve done very little to change that this off-season, making several additions and very few subtractions with the season less than a week away.

However, all that changed on Friday as the team placed two forwards on waivers, most notably veteran David Kampf who has been a feature on their fourth line for a number of years now.

David Kampf Highlights Waiver List, Along With Former 11th Overall Pick Victor Soderstrom

Beyond Kampf however, waivers were relatively quiet on Friday after 20 or more players were placed on waivers every day this week, with the Boston Bruins leading the way, officially waiving four players on Friday. Among those was Victor Soderstrom, a former 11th overall pick.

Here is the full list of players on waivers today:

Forwards
Patrick Brown – Bruins
Michael Callahan – Bruins
Georgii Merkulov – Bruins
Riley Tufte – Bruins
Givani Smith – Hurricanes
David Kämpf – Maple Leafs
Nils Aman – Canucks
Sheldon Rempal – Capitals

Defensemen
Victor Soderstrom – Bruins
William Villeneuve – Maple Leafs

Goalies
Brandon Halverson – Lightning
Matt Villalta – Mammoth

Unsurprisingly, with the season getting closer and closer, there weren’t many notable names placed on waivers today, and when Saturday’s claims come in, it’s unlikely that any of these players will be picked up by rival teams.

With the NHL season set to start early next week, rosters will need to be solidified over the weekend, and with so many teams still having bloated rosters full of AHL level players, we should see a major rush of waivers once again before the 2025/26 campaign is officially upon us.

Ultimately though, for the most part, teams have whittled down their rosters enough to a place that they’re comfortable with, but as we’ve come to know, we should always expect the unexpected when it comes to waivers in the National Hockey League.