Tuesday was a deadline of sorts for NHL teams to part amicably with players who are under contract beyond Thursday, the beginning of the free-agent period.

Several players were placed on waivers, including the Ducks’ Nathan Oystrick. He was joined on the waiver wire by former Ducks forward Petteri Nokelainen (now in Phoenix), former Sharks forward Jonathan Cheechoo (Ottawa), along with D Jim Vandermeer (Phoenix), RW Ales Kotalik (Calgary) and D Ville Koistinen (Florida).

If they go unclaimed, they could be bought out of their
contracts and become unrestricted free agents Thursday, when the
free-agency period opens at 9 a.m.

Oystrick, acquired at midseason from the Atlanta Thrashers in the Evgeny Artyukhin deal, was the lone Duck placed on waivers. The 27-year-old appeared in three games for the Ducks in April, going scoreless, and 43 with the American Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves.