The Dallas Stars have placed former first-round draft pick Valeri Nichushkin on waivers to buy out the final year of his contract, a person with direct knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press.

The Vancouver Canucks also announced that they had placed center Ryan Spooner on waivers to buy out the final year of his two-year, $8 million contact.

Nichushkin, 24, is from Russia and was selected by Dallas with the 10th pick in the 2013 draft. The forward had zero goals and 10 assists in 57 regular-season games last year and appeared in just one playoff game.

Overall, Nichushkin had 23 goals and 51 assists in 223 games with Dallas over four seasons. He was set to count $2.95 million against the Stars' salary cap next season.

Spooner, a seven-year veteran, had three goals and nine points in 52 games with the Canucks, Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers last season. He began his career with five-plus seasons in Boston after the Bruins selected him in the second round in 2010.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.