The St. Louis Blues have placed veteran forward Scott Gomez on unconditional waivers for the purpose of releasing him from his contract, the team announced Wednesday.
When the Blues first signed Gomez to a one-year deal after a successful tryout, the idea was that he could slot in as the team dealt with a series of injuries to everyday players. Most notably, center depth was depleted with Patrik Berglund injured. With Berglund set to return soon, Gomez's services were no longer required.
Gomez was placed on regular waivers Tuesday, but went unclaimed by any of the other 29 NHL teams. He could have been sent to the American Hockey League, but both he and the club decided it was best to part ways.
Now Gomez may have to sit by the phone to see if another NHL team needs a player to fill the right kind of role.
In 21 games with the Blues this season, Gomez had a goal and seven assists.
Gomez is a veteran of 1,066 NHL games. He has two Stanley Cups, two All-Star Game appearances and was the Calder Trophy winner as the league's rookie of the year in 1999-2000. He has 755 career points over stints with the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, San Jose Sharks, Florida Panthers and the Blues.
