Wild Could Risk Losing Former First Round Pick On Waivers Out Of Camp

Carson Lambos is entering a much different training camp with the Minnesota Wild this fall.

For the first time in his professional career, the 23-year-old defenseman is no longer waiver exempt. If Lambos does not make the Wild’s opening-night roster and Minnesota wants to assign him to the Iowa Wild, he will first have to pass through waivers.

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That creates an interesting situation for the Wild and their former first-round pick.

Minnesota selected Lambos with the 26th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. He signed his three-year entry-level contract shortly afterward and spent two more seasons in the WHL before beginning his professional career with Iowa in 2023-24.

Now, after three seasons in the AHL, Lambos has reached the point where Minnesota can no longer freely move him between the NHL and AHL.

And there doesn’t appear to be an obvious spot waiting for him in Minnesota.

The Wild already have Quinn Hughes, Brock Faber, Jonas Brodin, Jared Spurgeon, Olli Maatta, Zach Bogosian and Daemon Hunt on their blue line.

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That’s seven defensemen before Lambos is even included.

Unless an injury occurs during training camp, Lambos faces an uphill battle to make the opening-night roster. Carrying him would likely require the Wild to keep eight defensemen, something they wouldn’t necessarily want to do when Lambos could instead be playing regular minutes in Iowa.

Even an injury wouldn’t necessarily guarantee Lambos an extended look.

Minnesota has additional organizational depth, including Viking Gustafsson-Nyberg, giving the Wild another option if they need to recall a defenseman during the season without creating the same roster complications.

3 Wild Prospects Who Could Make A Splash At Training CampThese three Wild prospects could be poised to make a splash in training camp.

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That makes Lambos’ situation one of the more intriguing roster decisions to watch during training camp.

The 6-foot-1 left-shot defenseman has yet to establish himself as an NHL regular. He finally made his NHL debut last season, appearing in one game for Minnesota, while spending the majority of the year with Iowa.

Lambos remains an intriguing player because of his mobility and willingness to play hard. His skating has long been one of his better attributes, but questions remain about whether his offensive game and overall hockey sense will allow him to carve out a regular NHL role.

Those questions become increasingly important now that the Wild risk losing him if they attempt to send him back to Iowa.

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Being placed on waivers doesn’t mean Lambos would automatically be claimed. Every NHL team makes similar decisions at the end of training camp, when the waiver wire becomes crowded with players fighting for roster spots around the league.

But Lambos’ situation could draw some attention.

He’s only 23 years old, was selected in the first round five years ago and has already accumulated three seasons of professional experience. A rebuilding team or an organization searching for young defensive depth could potentially view him as a worthwhile claim.

Still, it’s a risk the Wild haven’t had to consider with Lambos until now.

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Minnesota could avoid the situation entirely if Lambos earns a roster spot during training camp. But with Hughes, Faber, Brodin, Spurgeon, Maatta, Bogosian and Hunt already occupying seven spots on the depth chart, there isn’t an obvious path.

That puts additional pressure on Lambos to make an impression during camp.

For the past three seasons, the Wild could simply send Lambos back to Iowa when he didn’t make the NHL roster. This year, they’ll need the rest of the league to let him get there.

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