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Congratulations to the Los Angeles Kings on winning the Stanley Cup. The fans of 28 NHL teams thank you for wrapping things up early. Why? Because the NHL offseason officially begins today as the compliance buyout window opens from now until June 30. Today will be the first day where we see some of the chess pieces moving around the board.
The Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, Montreal Canadiens, and Toronto Maple Leafs do not have any compliance buyouts left. The Washington Capitals have one remaining.
All players who are going to be bought out will have to hit the waiver wire first. Players on waivers are usually announced in the noon hour on the east coast.
When a player is bought out they will receive 2/3 of their remaining salary spread over twice the remaining term on the contract if they are 26 years old or older and 1/3 if they are younger.
Players who are eligible for a compliance buyout include any player who signed his contract before the new CBA went into effect.
So what does this mean for the Pittsburgh Penguins?
It means the worst contract on the books (Rob Scuderi) cannot be part of any compliance buyout. This will unfortunately be one of Ray Shero’s last parting gifts that could potentially sting the Penguins for a few years.
So if Scuderi is not eligible for a compliance buyout are there any other players on the Penguins that it might make sense to use one on?
After looking over the roster I did not find many candidates. The only two players I think it would make sense for are Marc Andre Fleury and Craig Adams.
In the case of Marc Andre Fleury it would be a last resort. If the Penguins were to decide to move on from Fleury they could certainly attempt to trade him. The Penguins may not get high value back but I’m sure there could be a potential suitor out there. The other variable in buying out Fleury would of course be who replaces him? The Penguins would have to acquire his replacement before buying him out.
Buying out Fleury is not a likely outcome, but out of all the players eligible for a compliance buyout, his situation lends itself to one more than others. The Penguins will have until June 30 to make their decision.
Seeing as though the Penguins have two buyouts and the Fleury option probably won’t happen, I see no reason why the Penguins shouldn’t use a buyout on Craig Adams to get him off the books. Yes he only makes 700k, but that is 700k that could be better spent and should be. Rutherford made comments about improving the 4th line. He can’t make that comment in earnest and still have Adams eating up minutes on a nightly basis. The compliance buyout is only an option for the next 2 weeks, take advantage of the loopholes given to you regardless of how small of an advantage it may be. Every dollar counts.
EDIT: Scratch that, Adams not eligible for a compliance buyout.
Rutherford had this to say about using a compliance buyout:
“I do not expect to use them."
It will also be interesting to watch around the league to see what other teams do with their buyout options. This could be a scenario in which the Penguins pick up a player that they otherwise would not have had an opportunity to do so. Obviously any player move is dependent upon the dollar amount they sign for as well as the term.
A guy like Mike Richards could hit the open market after a buyout. For a team that needs bottom 6 help like the Penguins it would be something they should at least investigate if it happens. There will be other players as well. Keep your eyes peeled to the waiver wire each day.
The offseason begins today and it is time for the Penguins front office to get to work.
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This week’s Hockey Hurts podcast covers the Kings victory as well as the trade rumors surrounding Jason Spezza, Joe Thornton, Evander Kane and others.
Thanks for reading!
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