Three familiar names hit NHL waivers including a former first-rounder

Jan 27, 2026 (2:14 PM)

Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Zach Aston-Reese, Brendan Gaunce, and Dakota Mermis hit NHL waivers, and it feels nostalgic if you remember the Penguins and Canucks chapters.

Elliotte Friedman dropped the note Tuesday: Mermis (TOR), Aston-Reese and Gaunce (CLB) are on waivers.

For Pittsburgh fans, Aston-Reese is the one that jumps off the screen.

He carved out that familiar bottom-six role, hunted pucks, and lived on detail.

Now he's back in the waiver blender with Columbus, hoping nobody bites.

For Vancouver fans, Gaunce is pure flashback.

He's 31, a 2012 first-rounder, 26th overall by the Vancouver Canucks, and he's still grinding for NHL minutes.

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Toronto's piece is Mermis, 32, an undrafted left-shot defender who's made a career out of being ready on short notice.

Waivers are never just paperwork, they're a roster squeeze with a clock on it.

Columbus putting two forwards through at once screams "we need flexibility," not a vote of confidence.

You can almost hear fans rolling their eyes because this is how depth gets lost for nothing.

If Aston-Reese clears, it's a clean path to stash a trusted checker without burning a recall later.

If Gaunce clears, it's another reminder that pedigree only buys you so many chances.

And if Mermis clears in Toronto, it's the usual blue-line math, bodies in and bodies out.

Either way, Tuesday's waiver wire has strong former Penguins and former Canucks energy.

Previously on HockeyLatest

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JANVIER 27\|235 ANSWERS Three familiar names hit NHL waivers including a former first-rounder Should Zach Aston-Reese be claimed off Columbus Blue Jackets waivers?
Yes	132	56.2 %
No	103	43.8 %
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