The Winnipeg Jets placed defenseman Nate Schmidt on unconditional waivers Sunday for the purpose of a buyout, reports Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.

Schmidt was set to enter the final year of his contract. If he clears waivers, the buyout will look as follows:

The 32-year-old was relegated to a third-paring role this past season and produced 14 points in 63 games.

Winnipeg acquired Schmidt from the Vancouver Canucks in 2021 for a third-round pick.

The Jets already re-signed blue-liner Dylan DeMelo to a four-year, $19.6-million contract. Logan Stanley is a pending restricted free agent, while Brenden Dillon and Colin Miller are pending unrestricted free agents.

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The Edmonton Oilers placed goaltender Jack Campbell on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a buyout, the team announced Sunday.

Campbell signed a five-year, $25-million contract with the Oilers as a free agent in 2022. He was assigned to the AHL in November after starting the season 1-4 with a .873 save percentage and didn't make another appearance for Edmonton.

Here's a breakdown of what the buyout will cost the Oilers, according to Cap Friendly.

Campbell also struggled in his debut season in Edmonton, posting an .888 save percentage in 36 appearances in 2022-23.

The Oilers' tandem in goal next season will be Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard, who combined to help Edmonton reach Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final this postseason.

Edmonton has approximately $12.9 million to spend this offseason and only has 14 players signed for 2024-25. The Oilers are also in search of a new general manager after the club and Ken Holland agreed to part ways.

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The Tampa Bay Lightning signed forward Jake Guentzel to a seven-year contract with an average annual value of $9 million on Monday.

The Bolts traded a 2025 third-round pick to the Carolina Hurricanes to acquire his rights on Sunday. Guentzel and Carolina were reportedly negotiating an eight-year, $64-million pact before the trade.

Guentzel is now the third-highest-paid player on Tampa Bay's books behind Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point, who each make $9.5 million annually.

News broke that Tampa Bay was setting its sights on the prized winger after creating cap space by trading Mikhail Sergachev and Tanner Jeannot on Saturday.

Carolina acquired Guentzel from the Pittsburgh Penguins in a pre-deadline blockbuster. He notched 25 points in 17 games with the Hurricanes, adding nine more in the playoffs as the club bowed out in the second round at the hands of the New York Rangers.

Guentzel is a two-time 40-goal-scorer, and he won the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 2017. The 29-year-old could be a replacement for captain Steven Stamkos, who's testing the market Monday after 16 years with the Lightning.

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The Ottawa Senators aren't expected to issue a qualifying offer to restricted free-agent defenseman Erik Brannstrom, sources told Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.

The move will make Brannstrom an unrestricted free agent.

The qualifying offer would've been $2 million, and Brannstrom could've earned more with his arbitration rights.

Brannstrom was the centerpiece of the return package in the 2019 Mark Stone trade, but the 5-foot-10 defenseman hasn't carved out a consistent top-four role during his six seasons in Ottawa.

The 24-year-old, who was selected 15th overall by Vegas at the 2017 draft, will become one of the youngest UFAs available.

Brannstrom recorded a career-high 20 points in 76 games this past season, averaging 16:35 per contest. He's routinely posted strong defensive underlying numbers when placed in a sheltered, third-pairing role.

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