The Boston Bruins are making their final preparations ahead of NHL free agency opening on Saturday.

The team announced on Friday it placed defenseman Mike Reilly on waivers for the purpose of a buyout. The Bruins also announced they have issued qualifying offers to nine RFAs, including Jeremy Swayman, Trent Frederic, and Jakub Lauko.

Reilly had one year left in his contract at a $3-million cap hit. He will become a UFA once clearing waivers, and the Bruins will pay $2,666,667 in buyout costs over two seasons. Boston will save $2,666,667 in cap hit costs this season before paying $1,333,333 next season, according to PuckPedia.

Buying out Reilly would bring the Bruins' cap space up to about $13.6 million with 13 of the allowed 23 signed players on their active roster, per PuckPedia.

Reilly, 29, spent much of the 2022-23 season not on the Bruins' active roster. He played 10 games for Boston with one assist while suiting up 36 times for the AHL's Providence Bruins and posting 26 points. In 2021-22 when Reilly played 70 games for Boston, he had 13 assists and 17 points.

In 339 career NHL games, the Chicago native has 86 assists and 98 points. After being drafted 98th overall in the 2011 draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Reilly played for the Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators and the Bruins.

With the Bruins dealing with a cap crunch as they try to get their players under contracts, this move gave them another notch of savings for next year as they sort things out.