The Dallas Stars have placed former first-round draft pick Valeri Nichushkin on waivers to buy out the final year of his contract, a person with direct knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press.
The Vancouver Canucks also announced that they had placed center Ryan Spooner on waivers to buy out the final year of his two-year, $8 million contact.
Nichushkin, 24, is from Russia and was selected by Dallas with the 10th pick in the 2013 draft. The forward had zero goals and 10 assists in 57 regular-season games last year and appeared in just one playoff game.