The St. Louis Blues have placed Jonathan Drouin on waivers for the purpose of buying out his contract. The 31-year-old will become an unrestricted free agent when he clears waivers.
Jonathan Drouin’s cup of coffee with the St. Louis Blues is finished.
After playing just nine games following the 2026 trade deadline, the Blues have elected to place the 31-year-old winger on waivers for the purpose of buying out his contract.
Drouin had one season left on a two-year contract carrying a $4-million cap hit. St. Louis acquired him at the March 6 trade deadline from the New York Islanders in the Brayden Schenn deal.
In nine games with the Blues following the trade, Drouin put up one goal and three points, but throughout the 2025-26 season, the former 2013 third overall pick scored four goals and 24 points in 64 games.
The Blues will be charged with a $1.33 million dead cap hit for the next two seasons, according to puckpedia.com. The Blues will save $2.67 million.
Drouin now becomes eligible to be claimed off waivers for the next 24 hours or so, but the likelihood of him being claimed is almost zero. When the process is complete, Drouin will become a UFA and be eligible to sign with any NHL team.
With 671 games of NHL experience, Drouin should be able to find a new home fairly quickly.
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