NHL waivers: how the rules work
Who gets a claimed player, who is exempt and what does a two-way contract mean? The rules behind moves between the NHL and AHL.
Waivers give other NHL teams an opportunity to take over a player's contract before his club assigns him to another league, usually the AHL. If nobody claims him, he clears waivers and the assignment can go ahead. A waiver placement is neither a conventional trade nor an announcement that the contract has ended.
What happens when an NHL player goes on waivers?
Under regular waivers, other clubs normally have 24 hours to submit a claim. A successful claim transfers the existing contract to the new team. The clubs do not negotiate a return of players or draft picks as they would in a trade.
- The club places the player on waivers so it can loan him to another league.
- If an eligible NHL team claims him and has the highest priority, his contract transfers to that club.
- If nobody claims him, the original club can assign him to the AHL. Clearing waivers does not force the club to make that assignment.
The underlying rules are in Article 13 of the collective agreement. Other conditions can affect an individual move, so a waiver announcement alone does not establish where the player will play next.
Who gets the player if several teams claim him?
Claims are not awarded on a first-come basis. Before November 1, priority follows the previous regular season's final standings. After that, it follows the current season's percentage of available points, with the lowest percentage taking priority. Comparing points alone can therefore be misleading when clubs have played different numbers of games.
The player does not normally choose between claiming teams. Waivers transfer an existing contract under league rules; they are not a new round of free-agent negotiations.
Which players are waiver-exempt?
Young players can be exempt from waivers. Their exemption depends on factors including their age when they signed their first NHL contract, elapsed years and NHL games played. Goaltenders and skaters have different thresholds. A player's current age alone cannot establish his waiver status.
Other rules govern where a young player is allowed to play. Being waiver-exempt does not automatically make someone eligible for an AHL assignment: junior eligibility rules and agreements may restrict the options.
A two-way contract does not mean waiver exemption
A two-way contract provides different salaries at NHL and minor-league level. It does not determine waiver eligibility. A player on a two-way deal can require waivers, while a player on a one-way deal can be exempt. Pay and assignment rights are separate questions.
Our guide to rookie contracts, bonuses and AAV explains NHL pay, AHL pay and average annual contract value.
Are waivers required for every assignment?
No. After clearing regular waivers, a player can sometimes move between the NHL and AHL without clearing again immediately. The general limit is 30 cumulative days on an NHL roster or 10 cumulative NHL games since clearing, after which another assignment requires waivers again. The days and games do not have to come in one uninterrupted stay. Emergency recalls have separate rules.
Carolina's transaction primer outlines the terminology. An AHL recall is not itself the same waiver process as an assignment to the minors.
A Swedish example: Samuel Fagemo
Nashville claimed Samuel Fagemo from Los Angeles on October 2, 2023. The Predators' announcement illustrates the result of a claim: a player changed NHL clubs without a conventional trade.
Do waivers terminate the contract?
No. Regular waivers allow moves such as an AHL assignment while keeping the contract in force. Unconditional waivers are a different process that can form part of a contract termination. A waiver placement therefore does not automatically free a player to sign with an SHLSHL, the Swedish Hockey League, is Sweden’s top men’s domestic ice hockey league. club.