The Penguins have broken their internal code of not buying out players today. That’s how bad Jack Johnson was.
Jack Johnson on waivers for purposes of buyout
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 5, 2020
This is what it will cost the team.
With 3 years remaining Jack Johnson's contract, a buyout will span 6 years. The buyout details are as follows:
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) October 5, 2020
2020-21 cap hit: $1.67M
2021-22: $1.67M
2022-23: $1.9M
2023-24: $917k
2024-25: $917k
2025-26: $917khttps://t.co/6WnCAqArhp https://t.co/CUDHNEDTOe pic.twitter.com/NAiGObcJGI
If they couldn’t find a team willing to trade for his contract then this was a necessary move. The Penguins don’t have cap space, they have roster holes, and they have this player who sucks the life out of the team eating up 3.25M.
This was completely avoidable. This outcome was easily predicted by many people who are not in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Jim Rutherford deserves no credit for “fixing his mistake… with this buyout. Rutherford’s hubris in signing this player actively hurt the team on the daily basis and compromised the team’s salary cap during Johnson’s tenure and beyond. It is one of the most embarrassing contracts awarded in the last five years.
This was a necessary evil, but also completely avoidable. The only thing worse would be to pay Jack Johnson to not to play for the team anymore and use his savings on yet another terrible player. Can’t rule that out yet.
Thanks for reading!