Chicago Blackhawks place Corey Perry on unconditional waivers for purpose of contract termination

The Chicago Blackhawks have placed veteran winger Corey Perry on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract.

“After an internal investigation, the Chicago Blackhawks have determined that Corey Perry has engaged in conduct that is unacceptable, and in violation of both the terms of his Standard Player's Contract and the Blackhawks' internal policies intended to promote professional and safe work environments,” a team statement this morning read. “As such, Corey Perry has been placed on unconditional waivers. In the event Mr. Perry clears waivers, we intend to terminate his contract effective immediately.”

The move comes only two-plus days after Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson told Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago that Perry would be away from the team for “the foreseeable future” following a string of healthy scratches that started on November 22.

Perry, 38, signed a one-year, $4-million contract with Chicago on the first day of free agency last offseason. In 16 games with the Blackhawks, he's amassed nine points in 16 games and averaged 14:39 a night in ice-time.

Each of the league's 31 other teams will have a chance to claim Perry on waivers, but that seems unlikely to occur for a whole host of reasons. At which point, he will become a free agent.