5 greatest NHL waiver pickups of all time ft. Paul Byron

By Cole Shelton

Modified Oct 03, 2023 15:06 GMT

With the NHL season about to start, teams need to cut down their roster, which means some players will be put on waivers.

When a player is placed on waivers, other NHL teams can put in a claim to try and add them to their roster for nothing. It's very low-risk, so, quite often, players are claimed, but sometimes they work better than others.

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Best NHL waivers of all time

Here are the five best waiver picks of all time.

#5 Michael Grabner

Grabner had a solid NHL career, playing 640 games. He started out with the Vancouver Canucks and was traded to the Florida Panthers. After failing to make the team, Grabner was waived and the New York Islanders claimed him.

Grabner played five seasons with the Islanders and was a solid top-nine forward for years.

#4 Rich Peverley

Peverley played three seasons with the Nashville Predators before being placed on waivers in 2009 and was claimed by the Atlanta Thrashers.

He immediately made an impact with Atlanta as in 39 games, putting 35 points. He recorded 55 points in 82 games, and the next season, he skated in 59 games before being traded to the Boston Bruins.

Atlanta acquired Blake Wheeler in the deal, who ended up being the captain of the franchise for years.

#3 Sean Avery

Avery played nearly 600 games in the NHL and was a solid player for years. However, in 2009, he was placed on waivers by the Dallas Stars and claimed by the New York Rangers to return to the organization.

Avery ended up playing parts of four more seasons with the Rangers before ended his career with them.

#2 Ilya Bryzgalov

Ilya Bryzgalov was a solid NHL goaltender but was put on waivers in 2007 by the Anaheim Ducks and claimed by the Phoenix Coyotes.

Bryzgalov was placed on waivers, as the Ducks couldn't trade him but wanted to do right for him by allowing the goalie to be a starter elsewhere. The Russian ended up four years in Phoenix and went 221-162-54 with a 2.58 GAA and a .912 SV% in his career.

#1 Paul Byron

Byron was put on waivers by the Calgary Flames in 2015 and was claimed by the Montreal Canadiens.

He played the final seven years with the Canadiens and was a key part of their Stanley Cup run in 2021. He skated in 383 games with Montreal and recorded 160 points.

Montreal got years of productivity off a waiver claim before Byron retired following the 2022-23 season.