Brayden Pachal and Matthew Robertson were placed on NHL waivers, with the Vancouver Canucks holding top priority to claim either player until the end of the month.
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Two veteran defencemen—Brayden Pachal and Matthew Robertson—were among the players made available on the NHL waiver wire on Monday, as the Vancouver Canucks maintained top priority for claims through the end of the month.
Pachal, 27, was placed on waivers by the Calgary Flames. The right-shot defenceman is listed at 6'2", 202 lbs and has played 177 NHL games split between the Flames and the Vegas Golden Knights, recording 28 points and 194 penalty minutes over his career.
The analysis also notes that Pachal has 406 career hits and spent his first two seasons in the WHL with the Victoria Royals. It adds that claiming him would give Vancouver an additional, experienced option on defence.
Robertson, 25, was made available after spending his entire NHL career with the New York Rangers. Listed at 6'4, 218 lbs, the left-shot defenceman has 18 points in 74 career games and is described as a physical defender.
Last season, Robertson recorded 107 hits in 72 games, and the analysis says he was tested as a top-four defender at the NHL level while averaging 17:24 of ice time per night in 2025-26. It also says he was a second-round pick from 2019.
The same analysis concludes that Vancouver could consider claiming either player as additional depth for the blue line, including as a potential seventh or eighth defenceman. It specifically says Ryan Johnson should consider claiming Pachal or Robertson.
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