The San Jose Sharks announced longtime veteran Marc-Edouard Vlasic is on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a buyout.
Vlasic, 38, would have entered the final year of an eight-year contract with a $7 million average annual value. However, he will be a UFA if no team claims him and that contract off waivers.
Despite the opportunity for the veteran defenseman to play his 20th season with the Sharks in 2025-26, GM Mike Grier decided to free up a roster spot and increase their league-leading salary cap space.
"This was a difficult decision to make today, with how much Marc has meant to the San Jose organization for 19 years,” Grier said in a statement.
For the 2025-26 campaign, Vlasic was set to receive $3.5 million in base salary, according to PuckPedia. Two-thirds of that money will be spread across two seasons on the salary cap as a buyout cost, equalling to $1,166,667 per year.
With this buyout, the Sharks save about $2.33 million in cap space for next season but will pay the remaining buyout cost the following year.
They now have just over $44 million in cap space and must add nearly $19.2 million to the team’s cap hit this off-season to reach the $70.6-million cap floor.
The Sharks have two pending UFAs and six pending RFAs, including 23-year-old defenseman Jack Thompson.
"I was fortunate enough to be here with Marc for his first season with the Sharks, and knew he would become a great defenseman,” Grier said. “With over 1,300 games in the NHL, he brought immense expertise and experience to the organization daily and was selected to represent his country on multiple occasions at the highest level.
"We want to thank him for his dedication and commitment to the organization and wish him all the best."
San Jose drafted Vlasic 35th overall in the 2005 NHL draft. Since then, he’s played 19 seasons and 1,323 games for the team, recording 295 assists and 379 points while averaging 20:41 in ice time. The Sharks never won a Stanley Cup, but he was part of the core that visited the Cup final in 2016, as well as three additional Western Conference final appearances.
Vlasic also played a role in earning a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
On June 21, the Chicago Blackhawks executed the first buyout of the off-season on defenseman TJ Brodie.
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