Penguins and Panthers each place a forward on NHL waivers

Joona Koppanen (illness) was placed on waivers Friday, per Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which was further reported by NHL insider Elliotte Friedman.

The Florida Panthers were also busy, as they waived forward Anton Lundmark in a corresponding move.

Koppanen missed Thursday's 4-3 Penguins win over Tampa Bay due to an illness, but rather than rejoin the team, he's now on track to either head to the minors or be claimed by another team.

The 27-year-old has an assist in 10 games with Pittsburgh this season. The Penguins previously waived Koppanen back on Oct. 2, and he went unclaimed, so it's likely the same outcome will happen once again this time, which means he would then report to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Koppanen has just three assists in 16 outings in 2025-26. His next opportunity to play would have come Sunday in Dallas, but now that he is on waivers, those plans are scrapped.

Florida Panthers winger Eetu Luostarinen returned to practice today and skated on the top line, so the team needed to clear up a roster spot to make room for him, which is likely the reason that Lundmark was waived.

The 27-year-old Luostarinen has missed the past eight games after sustaining an injury during a barbecue accident.

The Panthers have missed his presence in the lineup as he is a key defensive contributor, but he is also capable of adding timely offense when needed. In 18 games this season, Luostarinen has scored three goals and has a total of 10 points.