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The window for NHL teams to buyout players starts today and lasts until June 30 and the first notable name to fall may be veteran winger Matt Cooke, who was placed on waivers by the Minnesota Wild this morning.
Age and injuries may have finally caught up to the 36-year-old Cooke, who played only 29 games last season and has one year left at $2.5 Million. If he clears waivers, a buyout would give the Wild $1.5 Million in cap relief this season.
There will be many more of these decisions made over the next two weeks, although teams may try to include players they want to buyout in trades.
Will Detroit buyout the final three years of Stephen Weiss or does he get placed in a package to Toronto in a Dion Phaneuf deal??
Will Carolina take this escape route on Alex Semin's big money deal??
Was Sabres GM Tim Murray bluffing when he hinted at buying out Cody Hodgson at a lesser amount or is someone interested in giving the 25 year old another shot??
More to come