Maple Leafs pass on Andrew Mangiapane as Robby Fabbri gets claimed and three others hit waivers

As the trade deadline approaches, teams are getting prepared for some new faces either being brought in to help with a playoff push, or to replace those lost in what's expected to be a very hectic Friday.

That means waivers are going to be a bit more frantic than usual, and yesterday saw a bit of a surprise as Andrew Mangiapane was waived by the Edmonton Oilers after things didn't really work out.

But also surprisingly, the Maple Leafs -- a team who was heavily linked to the forward, decided to pass on him as he and Alec Regula both cleared waivers, however the Minnesota Wild did end up claiming Robby Fabbri from St. Louis:

However, there are a few new names who appeared on the wire and it might behoove the Maple Leafs to take a look at them, especially if they are going to want NHL bodies after Friday.

Detroit placed Erik Gustafsson on waivers, and the former Maple Leaf might make for a solid replacement for someone like a Philippe Myers or Simon Benoit as a depth piece but he's only played twice this season and looks like he won't factor in heavily into a retool.

He has zero points in two games with Detroit, and only played nine games with Toronto in 2022-23.

Pitlick is a player who you would classify as someone who is a solid depth center who can give you decent defence, physicality, and who can help out on the PK in a pinch.

The 11-year veteran has 111 points in 452 games split between a staggering nine separate teams.

Finally, we come to Olofsson; a 6'2, 200-pound defender with a brief stint in the NHL. Drafted 46th overall in 2013, he hasn't really found his footing at the NHL level, but has shown to be at least a competent depth piece.

Both Pitlick and Olofsson make the league minimum while Gustafsson earns $2-million; Gustafsson and Olofsson are both pending free agents meanwhile Pitlick has one more year left on his deal.

Teams who are interested in claiming any of the three new waived players will have 24 hours to do so before they are assigned elsewhere.

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