Two Players Unexpectedly Placed on Waivers

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Chris Gerics
October 13, 2024 (3:53 PM)

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The NHL saw a few moves on the waiver wire Sunday including Montreal Canadiens' Alex Barré-Boulet and Detroit Red Wings goaltender Ville Husso.

As the first week of the NHL season starts to come to an end on Sunday, some teams are making room on their rosters either for players returning from injury, a call-up from the minors or simply because they have no spot for that specific player. On Sunday, the NHL saw two names added to the waiver wire, with more names expected as the day goes on.

The two players in question were Detroit Red Wings goaltender Ville Husso, as well as Montreal Canadiens forward Alex Barré-Boulet in what some would see as a surprising move from the Habs:

Ville Husso - Detroit Red Wings

Husso has been incredibly solid in his NHL career since signing with the St. Louis Blues in May 2016. Registering a 34-13-7 record with the Blues, to go along with a 2.56 GAA and .919 SV%, Husso endeared himself as a dependable and consistent backup behind Jake Allen and Jordan Binnington and even had a better record and stats than Binnington in 2021-2022. Traded to Detroit during the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Husso signed an extension shortly thereafter and ended up being decent with the Red Wings in his first season. He went 26-22-7 with a 3.11 GAA and .896 SV% and didn't have much better numbers last season either.

Husso is being waived to create room for a Grand Rapids call-up after Christian Fischer went down with an injury. Detroit will save $1.15M in cap space if Husso is assigned to Grand Rapids or claimed by another team.

Alex Barré-Boulet - Montreal Canadiens

Alex Barré-Boulet, who was born a few hours away from Montreal in Montmagny, QC hasn't found his footing in the NHL yet in his career, although he's talented and lit up the lamp in the AHL during his time there. Having played for the Seattle Kraken, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Montreal Canadiens in his career, Barré-Boulet has skated in only 68 games, adding 12 goals and six assists; a far cry from his AHL days where he put up 84 points in 2022-2023 and 63 points in 2021-2022. Getting a shot with the Canadiens this season, he played in two games and was a -2 +/- during those two games but looked solid in his limited ice time.

Being shipped off to Laval isn't the end of the world for Alex Barré-Boulet, and given his track record for scoring a bunch in the AHL, he could play himself back into a call-up very soon.

As soon as more waiver wire transactions come out, we here at Hockey Patrol will update you on any movement!