Two former Maple Leafs hit waivers; brother of Leafs superstar made available as well

Andreas Johnsson was placed on waivers by the Pittsburgh Penguins and Connor Carrick was placed on waivers by the Seattle Kraken - who ended up placing 10 players on the wire today.

Johnsson was drafted in the 7th round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and didn't make his debut until the end of the 2017-18 season. He burst onto the scene the following season when he scored 20 goals and 43 points in 73 games, including a first period hat-trick against the Philadelphia Flyers.

After the season concluded, Kyle Dubas offered the forward a 4-year deal worth $13.6 million. He provided decent tertiary production in the COVID-interrupted season of 2019-20 with 8 goals and 21 points in 43 games. Due to cap constraints, he was dealt to the New Jersey Devils the following season for Joey Anderson. He reunited with Dubas this summer in Pittsburgh but didn't make the cut for the opening night roster.

As for Carrick, he's spent his last 5 seasons playing with 4 different teams including the Maple Leafs. He suited up for 130 games in parts of 3 seasons for Toronto but did manage a career-high 67 games in 2016-17 and 4 goals and 12 points in 2017-18. Primarily playing as a bottom-pair defenseman, he was unfortunately expendable as he was placed on waivers ahead of the season opener in 2018. He was then traded the same day to the Dallas Stars for a conditional 7th round pick.

One other interesting name out of the bunch that could entice the Maple Leafs is Alexander Nylander, younger brother of William Nylander. Of course the Maple Leafs have their own roster to worry about, however, taking a low-risk-high-reward stance on a former first round pick who has ties with one of your cornerstones carries very little risk.

The younger Nylander brother has primarily played in the AHL since 2018-19 with just 86 NHL games under his belt in that time - 65 coming in 2019-20 with Chicago. He scored 22 goals and 42 points for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Rockford IceHogs in 67 games in 2021-22 and is coming off a 25-goal and 50-point season for the Penguins affiliate in 2022-23. A change of scenery never hurt anybody and perhaps playing closer to his brother might change the trajectory of his career.