The Minnesota Wild appear set to buy out the remainder of defenceman Cam Barker's contract, putting him on unconditional waivers and making him an unrestricted free agent.
Barker is owed one more year at $3.25 million from the three-year, $9.25 million contract he signed with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2009.
The 25-year-old Barker scored one goal and added four assists in 52 games with Minnesota last season.
Barker missed 21 of the final 22 games of the 2010-11 season with an upper body injury.
Once one of the top prospects in the Chicago Blackhawks system, Barker was dealt to Minnesota in 2010 for Kim Jonsson and prospect Nick Leddy.
Barker was originally drafted by the Blackhawks in the first round, third overall in 2004. He was one of a number of Blackhawks players who prematurely became unrestricted free agents due to an error in the team's qualifying offers to pending restricted free agents.
He suited up for Team Canada winning gold medals at the 2005 and 2006 World Junior Hockey Championships.
