There’s been some online debate about whether Matej Blumel—and a few others—are waiver exempt heading into the 2025–26 NHL season. Let’s break it down and try to set the record straight.
The key factor in determining a player’s waiver exemption status is the age at which he signed his NHL entry-level contract. That age sets the threshold for how long—either in seasons or in games played—a player can remain exempt. If a player hits the required number of seasons before reaching the game limit, or vice versa, he’ll need to clear waivers to be reassigned.
| Signing age | Years required | NHL GP required |
| 18 | 5 | 160 |
| 19 | 4 | 160 |
| 20 | 3 | 160 |
| 21 | 3 | 80 |
| 22 | 3 | 70 |
| 23 | 3 | 60 |
| 24 | 2 | 60 |
| 25 | – | – |
Take Blumel as a case in point. He signed his entry-level contract at age 22, which sets his waiver threshold at either three completed seasons or 70 NHL games played—whichever comes first. Although he’s only appeared in 13 NHL games, he’s already finished three professional seasons, meaning he now requires waivers
The Bruins exempt from waivers heading into the season are: Matthew Poitras, Fraser Minten, Dalton Bancroft, Riley Duran, Fabian Lysell, Dans Locmelis, Brett Harrison, John Farinacci, Frederic Brunet, Jackson Edward, Loke Johansson and Max Wanner.
Goaltenders Simon Zajicek and Luke Cavallin are waiver exempt. The years and games played are different for goaltenders.
Dom - Hockey 