The St. Louis Blues placed forward Jonathan Drouin on waivers for the purpose of buying out his contract, the team announced Tuesday.
Drouin was entering the final year of his contract, which carried a $4-million cap hit. The buyout will look as follows.
| Season | Buyout cap hit |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 | $1.33M |
| 2027-28 | $1.33M |
The New York Islanders signed Drouin to a two-year, $8-million deal in free agency last offseason. They later traded him to the Blues at the deadline as part of the deal that sent Brayden Schenn to Long Island. Drouin tallied four goals and 20 assists in 64 games between the two clubs last season.
Drouin earned the payday from the Islanders after a successful two-year stint with the Colorado Avalanche in which he produced 93 points over 122 games.
The Avalanche have needs up front after jettisoning Valeri Nichushkin and Ross Colton in cap-saving moves this offseason, meaning a reunion with Drouin on a low-cost, one-year deal could be in the cards.
