A couple of notable names have hit the wire.
On Monday, the Chicago Blackhawks placed goaltender Laurent Brossoit on waivers, as did the Detroit Red Wings with forward Jonatan Berggren. The Dallas Stars also put defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok on the wire, making the trio available to the other 31 teams in the NHL.
#NHL Waivers Dec. 15:
G Laurent Brossoit (CHI)
D Vladislav Kolyachonok (DAL)
F Jonatan Berggren (DET)
If the three clear the wire on Tuesday, they could be assigned to their respective American Hockey League affiliates.
Berggren’s placement on waivers might be the most surprising for the bunch. The Swedish forward went from being one of the Red Wings’ top prospects to an everyday NHLer. However, things have not panned out for the former second-round pick. After posting 24 points in 75 games last season, Berggren has netted just two goals and four assists for six points in his first 15 appearances this year. He last saw his name in the lineup last Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers.
In 169 NHL contests, the Uppsala native has posted 31 goals and 33 assists for 64 points. Berggren is on a one-year contract with the Red Wings, which has a cap hit of $1.825 million.
The move to put Brossoit on waivers comes just hours after the Blackhawks recalled him from his conditioning stint with the team’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.
In his three games with the IceHogs, the 32-year-old certainly wasn’t bad while shaking off the rust. He went 2-1-0, winning his last two starts, posting a 3.39 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage. He also scored a goal this past Friday night in a 5-3 win over the Milwaukee Admirals, the Nashville Predators’ top farm team.
It was a long road back to action for the Port Alberni, B.C. native. He hadn’t played a game since the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when he was a member of the Winnipeg Jets. He signed a two-year contract with Chicago in July 2024, with the deal carrying a cap hit of $3.3 million through the end of this season.
Brossoit has yet to play with his new team. Multiple surgeries have led to him missing all of the 2024-25 season.
Even with Brossoit back on the ice, there isn’t room to fit him into the lineup in Chicago. The team has found success with the resurgence of Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom, who have helped rejuvenate the team in the Windy City and put Chicago in playoff contention.
Brossoit has made 140 appearances in the NHL, posting a career record of 64-46-13, with a 2.64 goals-against average, a .911 save percentage and six shutouts. He’s 5-2 in 10 postseason games with a 3.13 GAA and a .890 SV%.
Kolyachonok has played in just 11 games this season, scoring a goal and two assists for three points. The Belarusian blueliner has a plus/minus of +3 while averaging 12:37 of ice time. He’s in the final season of a two-year, two-way contract he signed with the Utah Mammoth in June 2024. The deal carries a cap hit of $775,000.
In 85 career NHL appearances, the 24-year-old has five goals and 12 assists for 17 points.
