Todd Cordel: Bryan Bickell
Buying out Bickell would save the cap strapped Chicago Blackhawks $3 million next season. It would cost them $1.5 million the following year but I think it's a worthwhile tradeoff considering Bickell doesn't even warrant a roster spot.
One way or another the Blackhawks will have to shed Bickell's salary and I think buying him out and eating $1.5 million in 2017-18 is a better idea than moving a quality asset (high draft picks, Teuvo Teravainen, etc.) as incentive for a team to take on Bickell's contract.
Peter Tessier: Dustin Brown? This is tough because he's not the only one but he seems like the most likely to have the best impact for the team doing the buying. One could also argue Amac in Philly but with LA's cap issues and it's long term liabilities in contracts Brown has to be the biggest anchor there.
Now if a deal like either of those happens again the GM should be shot because both are a ton of money to eat and for a lot of time.
John Jaeckel: Bryan Bickell $4 million a year for one more year, can't get up and down the ice anymore at an acceptable NHL level. Chicago has tried trading him over and over again. But "packaging" him with some other, more appealing asset to get someone to take on the last year of his deal is throwing good money after bad.
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