The Chicago Blackhawks have placed defenseman David Rundblad on buyout waivers, reports Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. This could open up the possibility of a buyout for the defenseman, although it’s possible the team ultimately decides to leave him on the books instead.
Rundblad, 25, had two assists in nine games before the Hawks loaned him to ZSC Lions of Switzerland’s National League A. He scored two goals with 13 assists in 11 games for ZSC Lions, and added an assist in four playoff games.
A potential buyout would leave the Hawks with a $133,000 salary cap hit penalty for this season and a $183,000 cap hit for next season, according to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. But it’s not clear what the benefit of that move would be given the Hawks can just bury him in the AHL for a $100,000 cap hit then let him walk as a free agent in 2017.
Rundblad was a healthy scratch for 28 of the Hawks’ first 37 games last season. The Swedish blue liner signed a two-year contract extension worth $1.05 million in June 2015 after recording three goals and 14 points in 49 games He played in two Stanley Cup Final games in the spring to get his name on the Cup.