Defenseman Marc Staal is staying put in Detroit, while the Vancouver Canucks placed forward Jake Virtanen on waivers on Sunday for the purpose of buying out the final year of his contract.
The Red Wings announced reaching an agreement with Staal. A person with direct knowledge of the contract told The Associated Press it’s a one-year deal worth $2 million. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the team did not release the contract’s value.
The 34-year-old Staal returns to Detroit for a second year after spending his first 13 NHL seasons with the New York Rangers. He had three goals and 10 points in 56 games last season, and is highly valued for his experience and leadership overseeing a young, rebuilding team.
The Canucks are parting ways with the under-performing Virtanen after six seasons. He was placed on leave on May 1 after being accused in a lawsuit of sexually assaulting a women four years earlier.
The Canucks are on the hook for paying a third of Virtanen’s remaining $3 million base salary, while freeing up $2.5 million in cap space.
Virtanen had five goals in 38 games last season, a year after scoring a career-high 18 goals in 69 games. Overall, Vancouver’s 2014 first-round draft pick has 55 goals and 100 points in 317 games.
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