The Arizona Coyotes have placed forward Antoine Vermette on unconditional waivers, meaning the final year of his contract will be bought out, according to multiple reports.

The move comes off as unexpected, as Vermette, 34, has one season left on his current deal, carrying an affordable cap hit of $3.75 million.

His buyout will cost the Coyotes $1.25 million each of the next two seasons, according to Cap Friendly.

According to General Fanager, the Coyotes have over $6.3 million in cap space, with Tobias Rieder - a restricted free agent - being the only player without a contract.

After leaving Arizona to join the Chicago Blackhawks on their Stanley Cup run in 2015, Vermette returned to the Coyotes on a two-year deal last offseason. In 76 games, he scored 17 goals with 21 assists, and will surely gain attention on the waiver wire as an offensively capable pivot, who's strong in the faceoff circle.

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