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NHL Waivers: Top 10 Drafted Defenceman Available To Canadiens

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nhl waivers adam boqvist montreal canadiens potential waiver claim

The Florida Panthers have announced they have placed defenceman Adam Boqvist on NHL waivers, and given the Montreal Canadiens recently lost one of their defencemen to a long-term injury, there may be some interest in the 24-year-old Swede.



Boqvist was drafted 8th overall in 2018 by the Chicago Blackhawks, where he played two seasons before being involved in the trade that saw Seth Jones join the Hawks from the Columbus Blue Jackets. He spent another two years with the Blue Jackets, but things ended poorly, as the team bought out the final year of his deal, which carried $2.6 million annual average value (AAV).

The Panthers ended up signing him to a reasonable $775,000 contract this summer. He played 18 games for the Panthers in 2024-25, scoring two goals and four assists. It’s also worth noting he played alongside his brother, Jesper, who is a forward.

I probably wouldn’t suggest this is a logical claim for the Canadiens, but now that Kaiden Guhle is out of the mix for the foreseeable future, adding defensive reinforcements seem more likely. They could turn to Laval, where Adam Engstrom and Logan Mailloux are poised to take the next step in their development, but if the team wants to protect their prospects, a claim on Boqvist could serve as a band-aid solution.

MUST READ: Impact Of Long Term Injury To Kaiden Guhle

Boqvist is relatively young, which means there’s some untapped potential in play, but we do have to recognize that he’s far from a defensive specialist. He’s currently sporting a 52 percent share of shots while he’s on the ice, but his expected goals percentage is barely above 46 percent, a significant red flag when we consider the Panthers are a Stanley Cup contender. In fact, Boqvist is yet to produce an xGF% above 50 since he entered the league in 2019.

It could be a low risk, medium reward situation, as Boqvist’s cap space is easily absorbed, and if no team below the Canadiens in the standings decided to use the NHL waivers, the Canadiens could acquire him for free, but the question remains whether he’d be a clear update on the internal options available to the Montreal Canadiens at the moment.

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Scott

Too small , just call up Mailloux

habbernack

Is he LD or RD

Tyrone

The video shows he’s a righty.

Prestige Worldwide

Why not take a chance? If he doesn’t pan out, put him on waivers where he’ll automatically go back to Florida’s farm team. He’s more ready than our d in Laval. He’ll offer relief (a d hopefully reduce the odds of fatigue related injuries) for the other d on the Habs. Montreal can acquire someone better in the off season. Or, maybe, like so many defenders, the proverbial light bulb might finally turn on after years of being developed.

mikeysl

give struble/ a cahnce and hold off until after/during 4 nations.
There will more waivers.

Tyrone

I’m torn. On one hand, I’d like to grab him so we can keep the kids in Laval and have them go on a championship run. But on the other hand, I’d prefer to have Struble play full time for now. The fact that he’s a righty and Guhle is a lefty doesn’t fit, but it would balance our D with a lefty and righty on each pairing. It’s certainly a low risk, possibly decent reward, short term. He might be the most valuable sitting in the press box as the 7th Dman. Kinda gives us the best of both worlds. Struble gets to play and the kids stay in Laval and build something special.

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