In the past week, a healthy list of former Ottawa Senators were placed on waivers and sent to the minors.
Every year, as we near the end of NHL training camps, being placed on waivers can mean one of two very different things.
For some players, it can create a fresh start with a new NHL team. The Senators saw that first-hand last week when goaltender Leevi Meriläinen was claimed by the Vancouver Canucks.
But for the vast majority of NHL hopefuls, being placed on waivers means they'll soon be packing their bags for the American Hockey League.
As teams across the league made their final roster cuts over the past seven days, the waiver wire had a long list of player names that popped up who should be very familiar to Senators fans.
For some of them, it was a disappointment, while others almost certainly saw it coming. Either way, everyone on the list cleared and will start the year as American Hockey Leaguers.
Three of them will be reunited in the Florida Panthers organization.
Cole Reinhardt, Angus Crookshank and Donovan Sebrango were all waived by Florida and were assigned to the AHL's Charlotte Checkers.
Colin White, who was once a big part of the Sens rebuilding plans, was waived by the New Jersey Devils and eventually assigned to the Utica Comets.
Mads Søgaard, who once held the title of Sens’ goalie of the future, was waived by the Tampa Bay Lightning and sent to Syracuse.
Dennis Gilbert provided defensive depth for the Sens last season and dressed for three of their four playoff games. He was waived by the Buffalo Sabres and will start the season with the Rochester Americans.
Josh Brown was waived by the Edmonton Oilers and heads to the Bakersfield Condors. The big defenceman, D.J. Smith’s OHL captain, spent parts of two seasons with the Sens from 2020 to 2022.
Noah Gregor was among the Winnipeg Jets' final cuts. He’s been assigned to the Manitoba Moose. Noah's career arc with Ottawa lasted less than a year. He was part of one season before being dealt to San Jose in the 2024 Fabian Zetterlund trade.
Dylan Gambrell also cleared waivers, this time with the Minnesota Wild, and will report to the AHL. Is this heaven? No, it's Iowa.
Defenceman Maxence Guenette was waived by the Bruins and cleared, sending him to the Providence Bruins.
And defenseman Christian Wolanin cleared waivers with the Colorado Avalanche so he'll fly with the Eagles in the AHL.
All in all, it’s a pretty interesting list. You have a former first-round pick like White, longtime prospects like Søgaard and Guenette, and depth guys who spent some serious time in Ottawa.
Now, with the new AHL season starting up on Friday night in eight cities, all these former Senators have the same goal: try to find their way back to the NHL.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
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