Columbus Blue Jackets place Dylan Gambrell on waivers

Dylan Gambrell's brief return to the NHL will be short-lived, as James Mirtle of The Athletic reports that the Columbus Blue Jackets have placed him on waivers. He did not appear in any of Columbus' first three games to begin the 2024-25 regular season.

The Blue Jackets will only have 12 healthy forwards on the roster for tomorrow's game against the Buffalo Sabres. defender Erik Gudbranson suffered an upper-body injury in last night's loss to the Florida Panthers, which could indicate the team will make a related trade today or tomorrow.

Gambrell spent all of last season with the Toronto Marlies, making him no stranger to the American Hockey League. He scored 14 goals and played in 36 games, which earned him a one-year, $775,000 contract with Columbus last offseason.

He no longer has the reputation of being a late second-round pick of the San Jose Sharks in the 2016 NHL Draft. He has scored 17 goals and 40 points in 233 NHL games without scoring more than 12 points in a season.

Should he clear waivers tomorrow, he will likely spend much of the season in AHL Cleveland, although Columbus needs more forward depth. The team starts the current season with a weak 1:1:0 and wants to remain competitive in the difficult North Division.