The San Jose Sharks placed defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a buyout Thursday.
"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," general manager Mike Grier said. "He will go down not only as one of the best defensemen in franchise history but one of the best players."
Vlasic was set to enter the final season of an eight-year, $56-million contract signed in 2018. The 38-year-old will become an unrestricted free agent if he passes through waivers.
Following the buyout, Vlasic will count against the Sharks' cap for approximately $4.66 million in 2025-26 and $1.16 million in 2026-27, according to PuckPedia.
San Jose drafted Vlasic in the second round in 2005. Breaking into the league for the 2006-07 campaign, he was an integral piece of the Sharks' core during their run as a Western Conference powerhouse. Vlasic notched 379 points in 1,323 games with San Jose and averaged more than 20 minutes per contest in each of his first 14 campaigns. He owned a plus-122 rating over that span.
Vlasic won Olympic gold with Canada in 2014 and was a World Cup of Hockey champion in 2016.
