The St. Louis Blues surprised some people on Wednesday by placing veteran defenseman Nick Leddy on waivers. The left-handed blueliner played just 32 games last season but averaged 18:40 per contest on the blueline for the Blues.
Leddy has one year left on his contract with a $4 million cap hit, so it wasn't definitive one way or the other if the defenseman would be claimed by another team off waivers. Perhaps the Blues hoped he would be, though, as they could be looking to clear up some cap space to bring in a younger guy on the blue line.
Well, the Blues are now rid of Leddy after the San Jose Sharks claimed the defenseman. San Jose had the first crack at Leddy -- and at any player placed on waivers -- as they had the worst record in the 2024-25 season.
SJ claims Leddy
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 3, 2025
Leddy, 34, will provide a veteran presence for a young Sharks team as San Jose looks to swim back to relevance in the near future. It may not take them too long, though, with second overall pick Michael Misa joining Macklin Celebrini in San Jose.
For the Blues, getting Leddy's contract off the books frees up $4 million in cap space to make another move this offseason. They've already signed Pius Suter and Nick Bjugstad up front, but they could be looking to add a defenseman now that Leddy is gone.