As NHL teams begin to make more and more cuts from their training camp rosters, one notable former Philadelphia Flyers forward has been placed on waivers.
On Wednesday, it was revealed that recent Flyers trade acquisition Jakob Pelletier was placed on waivers by the Tampa Bay Lightning, ending his push for an NHL roster spot for the time being.
Pelletier, 24, was one of the main pieces in the Jan. 30 Flyers trade that sent Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost to Calgary in exchange for himself, forward Andrei Kuzmenko, a 2025 second-round pick (Shane Vansaghi), and a 2028 seventh-round pick.
The Flyers, of course, didn't retain Pelletier and traded Kuzmenko, and neither player returned to Philadelphia this summer.
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Pelletier signed a three-year, $2.33 million contract with the Lightning on July 2, while Kuzmenko remained West and re-upped with the Los Angeles Kings on a one-year, $4.3 million pact.
A reunion with Pelletier might have made some sense from the Flyers' perspective, especially given the lack of competition behind Nikita Grebenkin, but the former first-round pick's three-year contract is likely to turn off other NHL teams from claiming him on waivers, league-minimum price point notwithstanding.
The Flyers had a degree of interest in re-signing Pelletier earlier in the offseason had their first priorities in free agency not panned out, but Pelletier signed elsewhere on Day 2 and Christian Dvorak seemingly gave the Flyers what they needed on Day 1.
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Going forward, Pelletier will have to again prove himself in spite of his diminutive size at the AHL level until he earns and is given an opportunity in the NHL again.