The Calgary Flames are putting veteran forward Troy Brouwer on waivers with the intention of buying him out, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.
Brouwer, who turns 33 this month, signed a four-year contract worth $18 million with the Flames in 2016. But the three-time 20-goal scorer hasn't been able to find his groove in Calgary, and was the subject of both trade and buyout rumors in recent months.
Brouwer had just 13 goals and 25 points in 74 games last year, and six goals and 22 points in 2016-17. With his age, declining production and expensive salary, buying out Brouwer was an easy choice for Flames general manager Brad Treliving.
According to CapFriendly.com, Brouwer's buyout will carry a $1.5 million cap hit for each of the next four years. But with virtually every single core player - such as Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Mark Giordano, Mikael Backlund and T.J. Brodie - under long-term deals, the Flames are doing the right thing in buying out Brouwer to save cap space immediately.
The 6-foot-2 Brouwer has garnered a reputation for being a clutch postseason performer, helping the Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in 2010. Brouwer has 34 points in 102 career postseason games, but the Flames were swept by the Anaheim Ducks in the first round of last year's playoffs, and they failed to qualify in 2018.
The Flames have undergone a handful of major changes in the offseason. It began with the firing of head coach Glen Gulutzan, who was replaced by Bill Peters. Treliving then traded defenceman Dougie Hamilton, forward Micheal Ferland and prospect Adam Fox for center Elias Lindholm and blueliner Noah Hanifin. Now, they're buying out Brouwer.
The Flames will look quite different next season as they try to punch their third ticket to the postseason in five years, and Brouwer was the latest player in Calgary to be given a one-way ticket out of town.