The NHL roster freeze is over, and several teams have made use, with five teams placing a total of six players on waivers.
The NHL's roster freeze has passed, and teams can now make changes and alterations to their rosters.
On Sunday, there is some waiver activity, including the Edmonton Oilers placing right winger David Tomasek on waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract. The Oilers announced this decision back on Friday, as Tomasek will be returning to Sweden.
Before signing a one-year, $1-million contract with the Oilers, Tomasek played two seasons with Farjestad in the SHL. The Czech native has reportedly been training with the team since the announcement of Edmonton's contract termination.
Tomasek, 29, played 22 games for the Oilers this season. With that, he scored three goals and recorded two assists for five points and a minus-six rating.
The Oilers have also placed center Noah Philp on the wire. He's played 15 games for Edmonton this season, recording two goals and an assist.
The undrafted 27-year-old has averaged 10:02 of ice time this season and has a total of 30 NHL games played in his career. Philp hasn't made an appearance in the AHL yet in this campaign.
Left winger Danton Heinen has been placed on waivers by the Pittsburgh Penguins after center Blake Lizotte was activated from injured reserve. The Penguins are forced to make this move as activating Lizotte puts the team over the 23-man roster limit.
Heinen is going on waivers for the second time this season after hitting the wire in October as Pittsburgh finalized their opening-night roster.
The 30-year-old has played 12 games for the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He scored six goals and 17 points in that span.
The Utah Mammoth have sent down defenseman Jusso Valimaki, who must pass through waivers. He's been waived to be assigned to the American League's Tucson Roadrunners.
In March, Valimaki underwent ACL surgery and was sidelined for eight to nine months. The 27-year-old hasn't made an appearance all season. Last year, he played 43 NHL games and one AHL game.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have waived defenseman Marshall Rifai, who has been out of the lineup since the pre-season. He required wrist surgery in late September and has been on the injured reserve list ever since the regular season kicked off.
On Dec. 18, Rifai was sent down to the Toronto Marlies for a short conditioning stint. He played one game against the Utica Comets and registered a plus-one rating and two penalty minutes.
The last player on waivers on Sunday is defenseman Ethan Bear of the New York Islanders. Bear has yet to make an NHL appearance since the 2023-24 campaign, when he was with the Washington Capitals.
He spent all of last season in the minors with the Hershey Bears, playing in 62 contests while registering 10 goals and 36 points from the back end. The Islanders signed the 28-year-old to a one-year contract at $775,000 on July 1.
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