- St. Louis placed Jonathan Drouin on unconditional waivers to buy out the final year of his $4 million deal
- He is the first NHL player bought out in this summer’s opening window
- Read below for the cap savings and what comes next for the winger
The Blues are moving on from Jonathan Drouin.
St. Louis placed the veteran winger on unconditional waivers Tuesday for the purpose of buying out the final season of his contract.
Drouin, 31, had one year left on a two-year deal that carried a $4 million cap hit. The buyout drops that figure to about $1.33 million against the cap in each of the next two seasons, freeing up roughly $2.67 million this summer, per PuckPedia.
He is the first player bought out during the league’s opening buyout window, which closes at 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday, per Chris Johnston:
The move closes a short run in Missouri. St. Louis grabbed Drouin at the March 6 trade deadline from the Islanders in the Brayden Schenn deal, and he managed just one goal and three points in nine games down the stretch. Across the full season he finished with four goals and 20 assists in 64 games.
Colorado was a much better fit. Drouin posted 19 goals and 56 points in 79 games during 2023-24, then added 11 goals and 37 points in an injury-shortened 43-game season the year after.
Doug Armstrong has stayed busy this offseason, having already traded for Brandon Carlo earlier in the week. Clearing Drouin gives the front office a bit more room before the market opens.
If Drouin clears waivers, he becomes an unrestricted free agent in time for July 1. The third overall pick from 2013 still has 398 points in 671 career games and should find takers on a cheap one-year bet.
