Eight players placed on NHL waivers: Steve Yzerman has a free opportunity that could be huge

Yesterday was the first day NHL teams could place players on waivers of the season. Seven players were made available, including Connor Ingram and Xavier Bourgault.

Today, the renowned insider Elliotte Friedman confirmed that everyone from yesterday cleared and announced a new wave of cuts.

Indeed, he revealed that eight players, including a promising goaltender and a 6-foot-4 first-round pick, have officially been cut from their training camps and are now available to the other teams in the league for the next 24 hours.

Kevin Connauton (Mammoth), Ivan Fedotov (Blue Jackets), Liam Foudy (Islanders), Julien Gauthier (Islanders), Cole McWard (Islanders), Travis Mitchell (Islanders), Calle Rosen (Capitals), and Spencer Smallman (Capitals) were all placed on waivers by their respective teams.

A few weeks ago, the Philadelphia Flyers surprised a lot of people by trading away the promising Russian goalie Ivan Fedotov to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

After all, GM Daniel Briere had big expectations for him when he took him out of the KHL, where the 28-year-old, six-foot-seven Russian goalie displayed great numbers and won a Gagarin Cup.

But the goalie struggled in his two NHL seasons so far. Last season, he boasted a 6-13-4 record, with a .880 SV% and a 3.15 GAA in 26 games.

Despite getting a fresh start with a new team, Fedotov couldn't impress enough to remain in the NHL.

The Blue Jackets decided to put him on waivers, most likely with the intention of sending him to the AHL. It would be surprising to see a team take a chance on him with his track record considering his $3,275,000 AAV salary.

Julien Gauthier is another surprise on the waiver wire. The 2016 first-round pick scored 41 points over 181 NHL games.

It'll be interesting to see if one of them will get claimed. Stay tuned.