Former top-5 pick placed on waivers
This one is certain to turn some heads. There is a former 5th overall draft pick on waivers on Saturday, as the Florida Panthers have announced that they have waived defenseman Olli Juolevi - whom they acquired from the Vancouver Canucks just this past fall.
Juolevi was selected by the Vancouver Canucks with the 5th overall pick in 2016, just one pick ahead of Calgary Flames winger Matthew Tkachuk, with the thought that he would be the next franchise defenseman for the Canucks.
At 6'3, 198 lbs (per Dobber Prospects), Juolevi certainly possesses NHL size, but there are some questions about his hockey IQ. The puck-moving defenseman is certainly a low-risk waiver acquisition if there's a team out there who has a roster spot available for a bit of a reclamation project.
Juolevi, 23, has played just 33 games in his NHL career, registering just 3 points over that span. In 10 games with the Panthers this season, the Heslinki, Finland native was held pointless.
I can't imagine that he'll clear, given how highly-touted he was at one point, but if he does, he could be an excellent candidate for the Leafs to trade for in hopes of having their development staff build him up with the Marlies, much the way they did with Alex Galchenyuk last season after he was acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes once he cleared waivers.
Low risk, high potential reward here. And with Dubas stating that he does want to address the team's blueline, perhaps taking a swing on a prospect like Juolevi could end up paying dividends.
| POLL | ||
5 MARS | 263 ANSWERS Former top-5 pick placed on waivers Should Leafs GM Kyle Dubas put in a waiver claim? | ||
| No, stay away from him | 60 | 22.8 % |
| Nope, trade for him if he clears though | 36 | 13.7 % |
| Of course he should.. he's a former top-5 pick | 113 | 43 % |
| I don't think it matters | 54 | 20.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
