Islanders Place Former First-Round Pick on Waivers

The New York Islanders have placed Kieffer Bellows on waivers.

This is a notable waiver placement, as Bellows was once a top prospect for the Islanders. Selected with the 19th overall pick of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Bellows was envisioned to be a long-term, top-six winger of the future for the club. Instead, the 24-year-old has yet to cement himself as an NHL-regular and now he is heading to waivers because of it.

Bellows is coming off of a season that saw him record 19 points in 45 games, but he has primarily been a healthy scratch this campaign. It would not be too surprising to see another club decide to take a chance on him and claim him. If he does clear, however, he will be heading back to the AHL for the first time since the 2019-20 season.