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There are always uncertainties when it comes to Lou Lamoriello and his roster management with the Devils, but I think one sure bet this off-season is that Anton Volchenkov will be bought out.
I sort of touched on this yesterday, but I think buying out Volchenkov makes sense for a lot of reasons, one of which to clear a spot for Adam Larsson.
Larsson needs a new contract, but he's not waiver exempt so regardless of the deal he signs he'd need to clear waivers to be sent to Albany. That's not happening, so he'll play in New Jersey next season.
The compliance buyout window doesn't open until after the Stanley Cup playoffs, so the Devils have time here, but I don't see a scenario where Volchenkov stays on the team.
Lamoriello used a buyout last year on Johan Hedberg, so this would be the last compliance buyout he has to use.
Given Volchenkov is signed through 2015-16, carries a cap hit of $4.25 million, has a no trade clause, and seems to be declining, I think using a buyout on Volchenkov would be a worthwhile move.
As I mentioned, clearing space for Larsson is obviously key, but I think the cap space would be nice to have as well. The Devils have a nice chunk of cap space, and the only players they need to re-sign that would warrant more than $1 million per season or so (assuming they let Martin Brodeur walk) are Marek Zidlicky, Mark Fayne and Eric Gelinas, who's an RFA and has little to no leverage in negotiations.
Forget contract lengths for now. Let's say Zidlicky, Fayne, and Gelinas re-sign and the the combined cap hit is $9 million or so. That gives the Devils around $15 million to play with, and all they would need to fill a roster is a backup goaltender and a 4th line.
The Devils new ownership seems willing to spend, and there could be some nice talent in free agency as Marian Gaborik, Thomas Vanek, Matt Moulson, Mike Cammalleri and Paul Stastny, among others, are eligible to test the waters should they desire to do so.
With Volchenkov out of the picture, the Devils could promote their youth (Larsson) and have a lot of flexibility to play around via free agency and trade.
Volchenkov is a serviceable guy on a deep blue line with a ridiculous contract, so any way you slice it the Devils would be smart to use a compliance buyout here.
If Lamoriello does, he'll have a lot of freedom with the roster this summer.
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