The Columbus Blue Jackets placed forward Alexander Wennberg on unconditional waivers Thursday for the purpose of buying out the remaining three years of his contract.
"I wish Alex the best of luck and thank him for his contributions, both on and off the ice, to the Columbus Blue Jackets over the past seven years," Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a press release. "Decisions like this are never easy, but we believe it is in the best interest of our club at this time."
The NHL’s buyout window closes Thursday evening with free agency beginning Friday at noon ET.
Wennberg signed a six-year, $29.4-million extension after the 2016-17 season where he posted a career-high 13 goals and 46 assists for 59 points, however his overall production has declined in the three seasons since inking the contract.
The Stockholm native was selected 14th overall by Columbus in the 2013 NHL Draft. In 415 regular-season games with the Blue Jackets, Wennberg scored 40 goals and tallied 201 points.
Buying out Wennberg will help save the Blue Jackets more than $10 million over the next three seasons.
The Blue Jackets are short on salary cap space and the team needs to re-sign restricted free agent Pierre-Luc Dubois.
Devils buying out Schneider
In other contract termination news, the New Jersey Devils announced the team placed goalie Cory Schneider on waivers and if he goes unclaimed the remaining two years of his contract will be bought out.
The Devils acquired Schneider in a 2013 trade with the Vancouver Canucks. The 34-year-old signed a seven-year, $42-million contract extension in 2014.
Schneider, who hasn’t had a save percentage better than .908 since 2016, made the second-most saves in Devils franchise history behind Martin Brodeur.
