NHL News: Oilers & Leafs Place Players On Waivers As Holiday Roster Freeze Lifts

Marshall Rifai, Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman

As the NHL's Holiday Roster Freeze was lifted as of Sunday morning, several teams around the league have made some moves.

The Edmonton Oilers have placed Noah Philp on waivers for the purpose of an assignment to AHL Bakersfield.

However, with a face-off win percentage of 56.9%, and the dearth of available centers around the league, there's a chance that he could be claimed by another team, saving him a trip back to the minors. Philp is a defensive-minded, fourth-line center who provides size (6-foot-3, 200 pounds), penalty-killing ability, and a good knack in the face-off dot.

Philp has been out of action since Nov. 17, and was on LTIR. The Oil will have to activate him first in order to place him on waivers.

As we shared on Friday, David Tomasek's official placement on waivers also took place for Edmonton today. His contract will be terminated on Monday. He is already back overseas, where he's signing for the rest of the season after a failed two-month experiment in North America.

Maple Leafs place d-man Marshall Rifai on waivers for official assignment to Marlies

The Maple Leafs have placed Marshall Rifai on waivers pic.twitter.com/iSoZxEwcuh
— TheLeafsNation (@TLNdc) December 28, 2025

Across the country, the Toronto Maple Leafs also used the waiver wire on Sunday, placing defenceman Marshall Rifai on waivers for the purpose of officially assigning him to the AHL's Marlies. He just returned from a season-long LTIR stint after a wrist injury, and had been skating with Toronto for a while. He actually played his first game of the season with the Marlies Saturday night.

Others placed on waivers on Sunday include Danton Heinen (Pittsburgh Penguins), Ethan Bear (NY Islanders), and Juuso Valimaki (Utah Mammoth).

Bear and Valimaki have been on IR all season to this point.