Veleno, Sheary placed on unconditional waivers for purposes of buyout
Published
The Seattle Kraken have put forward Joe Veleno on unconditional waivers for the purposes of a buyout with a year remaining on his contract.
Veleno, 25, was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks on June 21 in exchange for forward Andre Burakovsky.
He finished the season with the Blackhawks after he was acquired from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for goaltender Petr Mrazek and forward Craig Smith prior to the trade deadline.
The 6-foot-1 centre recorded eight goals and 17 points in 74 games split between the Red Wings and Blackhawks last season.
He was entering the final season of a two-year, $4.55 million deal he signed with the Red Wings in July of 2024. The Kraken are expected to receive $1.48 million of cap relief after the buyout.
Drafted 30th overall by the Red Wings in 2018, Veleno has 38 goals and 81 points in 306 career games split between the Red Wings and Blackhawks.
The Montreal native represented Canada at the 2023 World Championship, taking home a gold medal.
Lightning to buy out Sheary
The Tampa Bay Lightning also placed forward Conor Sheary on unconditional waivers for the purposes of a buyout with a year left on his contract.
Sheary, 33, only appeared in five games this season as he bounced back and forth between the Lightning and the AHL's Syracuse Crunch.
He also had 20 goals and 61 points in 59 AHL games.
The 5-foot-8 winger was entering the final season of a three-year, $6 million contract. Tampa Bay are projected to receive $1 million in cap relief after the buyout.
Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2015, Sheary has 124 goals and 267 points in 593 career games split between the Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, Washington Capitals, and Lightning.
Sheary is a two-time Stanley Cup winner after helping the Penguins win back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017.