3 Blue Jackets hit the waiver wire this afternoon as the team begins to trim their roster

We mentioned the possibility of more cuts from the Blue Jackets' training camp roster in the near future, and a few became clear today. This afternoon, the team reportedly placed three players on waivers in an attempt to send them to the Cleveland Monsters.

In this round of cuts, there aren't any real surprises. None of these three were ever likely going to make the opening night roster for the Blue Jackets, barring any big injury troubles. However, it's a little bit interesting to see them all hit the wire on a busy day.

It's not uncommon for teams to try to pick busier waiver days to pass guys through. That's most likely the reason we're seeing two of the more prominent waiver-eligible players the Jackets have, both hit the wire today.

With so many names on the list, the hope is that they can sneak these guys through without any claims. Of course, that doesn't protect them in any way other than other teams' general managers simply not paying close enough attention.

At the top of the list, Pheonix Copley is a very notable name. In fact, he was claimed via waivers last season, going from the LA Kings to the Tampa Bay Lightning-who ultimately traded him back to the Kings for future considerations.

He likely had ambitions of being the backup to Jet Greaves while the team awaits the end of Elvis Merzlikins' IR situation. However, those ambitions went away when the team signed Cam Talbot to fill in that spot. So, he apparently heads to the Cleveland Monsters, assuming he goes unclaimed.

Joining him on the drive up I-71 are two players who spent all of last season in Cleveland: Owen Sillinger and James Malatesta. Sillinger isn't going to move the needle much, and will almost certainly clear waivers.

Malatesta could be a different story. He had a bit of a down year last season, but there is still the hope that he could become a bottom-six player in the NHL. If another team sees that potential, I would not be surprised to see him get claimed.

This summer, we ranked Jimmy as the 19th-best prospect in the Blue Jackets organization. A big bounce-back year from him could vault him back into the top-15, where he was the year before (13th).

Still more to come.

After today, there are still a lot of decisions for the Blue Jackets to make-some of which will require players hitting the waiver wire. At the top of that list is probably defenseman Corson Ceulemans. He's a former first round pick, who finally started to put it all together for the Monsters last year.

We also have to mention Luca Del Bel Belluz-though, it seems a very long stretch that he will be sent down; because he would certainly be picked up by someone else. Other notable names who are waivers eligible and at risk of demotion include Danton Heinen, Mikael Pyyhtia, and Colton White.

We'll try to keep up with them all as the news breaks. For now, lets just hope the Jackets don't lose their depth goaltender or their gritty young winger.

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