The St Louis Blues are placing forward Brandon Saad on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract.

The 32-year-old Saad has appeared in 43 games for the Blues this season, recording seven goals and nine assists, including his 500th career point in October and a hat trick against Ottawa earlier this month. ESPN reports that attempts to trade Saad were unsuccessful and he refused to report for reassignment to the Blues’ AHL affiliate in Springfield, Mass. He was in the fourth season of a five-year, $22.5 million contract that brought Saad to St Louis from Colorado. He’s also had stints with Chicago and Columbus.

The Blues are in the midst of a three-game losing streak, falling further behind in the hunt for a playoff spot as Minnesota sit 14 points ahead for third in the Central Division and Vancouver six points ahead for second in the Western Conference wild card standings, with two games in hand. The Blues visit Colorado on Friday, Jan. 31, with puck drop at 8 p.m.