Two defensemen found new homes off the waiver wire Saturday, with the Detroit Red Wings landing Andreas Englund from the Calgary Flames and the Nashville Predators taking William Trudeau from the New York Rangers, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Friedman also said the other 59 players who were waived Friday went unclaimed, including Utah Mammoth forward Brandon Tanev. Tanev still has two seasons left on the three-year deal he signed with the club as a UFA in 2025.
Englund, 30, was on a one-year, two-way contract with Calgary after signing July 1. The 6’4″ left-shot defenseman dressed in one preseason game for the Flames before getting waived Friday, and now heads to Detroit, where the blue line could use another body if the club can’t reach an agreement with RFA defenseman Simon Edvinsson.
He brings a long NHL resume with him. Englund has played 200 games across parts of eight seasons for the Ottawa Senators, Colorado Avalanche, Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings, and Predators.
In that span, he has two goals, 20 points, and 190 penalty minutes. He also has one assist in five playoff games, all with the Kings in 2024.
Trudeau’s path looks different. The 23-year-old left-shot defender has yet to appear in an NHL game, despite spending the last four seasons with the AHL’s Laval Rocket before being traded to the Rangers in June. Montreal originally selected him in the fourth round, No. 113 overall, in the 2021 NHL Draft.
New York signed Trudeau to a one-year, two-way deal on July 6. In Nashville, he’ll now have a shot at a depth role and will likely be competing for minutes with Justin Barron, Adam Wilsby, and Ryan Ufko.
In Other News...
Predators Roster Battle Just Got Tougher For Nashvilles Young Centers
The Predators trimmed their camp roster again on Sunday, and the move that stood out most was Brady Martin being sent to AHL Milwaukee rather than making the opening night NHL group. For a young center trying to carve out a role in a crowded lineup, it was another reminder that Nashvilles depth down the middle is going to make every decision difficult, even for a top prospect with plenty of promise.
Hunter Skinner also cleared waivers and was reassigned, while goaltender Ethan Haider was assigned to ECHL Atlanta after coming to camp on a professional tryout. Nashville still has more roster business to finish before the submission deadline, with potential signings and cuts still on the table, so the final shape of the team is not fully settled yet. [Read more 🡒]