Wild's Thomas Vanek: Wild will buy out contract

Vanek, who's working his way back from broken and displaced ribs this offseason, has been informed the Wild will buy out the final year of his contract, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

The move will give the Wild $5 million in salary cap space for free agency. Vanek has been a disappointment since joining the Wild as he scored a career-low 18 goals in 74 games last season. He had just 93 points in the last two seasons despite signing a three-year, $19.5 million contract.