The St. Louis Blues placed veteran forward Jonathan Drouin on waivers for a buyout on June 30. Various outlets reported this move aims to clear salary cap space for the team. The Blues also issued qualifying offers to a pair of restricted free agents that day, one of whom was Drouin. This buyout action cancels the qualifying offer agreement earlier extended with the forward. North American news sources covered the transaction. The team did not give a detailed explanation beyond the standard waiver and buyout procedures. Drouin joins the pool of players available for other NHL teams to claim for free before the buyout is finalized. Payments will be spread over future seasons rather than incurred as a single payment.