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If every team had a compliance buyout |
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I'm bored and there has been a little chatter about the possibility of NHL teams getting a compliance buyout this summer.
The rationale would be due to the loss revenue of unplayed games during this pandemic, the salary cap will remain flat or even decrease.
By giving each team (1) "gimme" compliance buyout, teams will free themselves from their "worst" contract, thus allowing them to move forward into the offseason with more ease to get under the salary cap and strategically build their rosters.
Will this actually happen? I have no idea.
But, as I said, I'm bored wanted to have some fun with this – what if each team was awarded a buyout? Who would it be?
Before we dive into that, here's a refresher of what happening in 2014.
"Under the provisions of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, each team is allowed two compliance buyouts before the start of the 2014-15 season. The buyouts must occur during windows of time specified by the CBA.
The first opportunity for compliance buyouts was from June 26 to July 4, 2013. The second compliance buyout window opened Monday, June 16, 2014 and ends on Monday, June 30 at 5 p.m. ET. Any player receiving a compliance buyout receives two-thirds of the remaining contract across twice the remaining term of the deal, but his salary-cap charge to the team is wiped clean. The bought-out players are granted unrestricted free agency and are eligible to sign with any team, other than the one which bought out the player."
(Source: NHL: https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-com-official-compliance-buyout-tracker/c-675349)
The Blackhawks opted to buyout Steve Montador and Rusty Olesz.
To see the remainder of the buyouts, click the link above to the NHL.com article.
Ok, let's get into it – team-by-team:
Anaheim – Ryan Kelser ($6.87 for 2 more years) – Kesler is on the verge of retiring/LTIR anyway, so might as well buy him out before that happens. Backes is another option, however, he can actually take a shift these days and only has one more year remaining on his deal.
Arizona – Marian Hossa ($5.27M AAV for 1 more year) – Even with Hossa being on the LTIR, the Yotes would benefit from buying him out so they don't have to deal with waiting to put him on IR until the first day of the season. They don't have a lot of other candidates so Marian… you're free to officially retire and come work for the Blackhawks.
Boston – David Krejci ($7.25M AAV for one more year) – I could have gone with John Moore ($2.75 for 3 more years) but the B's need more cap space than that heading into this offseason with Krug, Chara, and Halak as UFAs. Krejci has been a staple on this Bruins team forever, but at 33 years old, it's time for the younger players to take the torch behind that big line.
Buffalo – Kyle Okposo ($6M AAV for 3 more years) – Okposo has been through a lot and is a great guy, however, the Sabres need to rid themselves of that $6M to improve their overall roster.
Calgary – Milan Lucic ($5.25M AAV for 3 more years) – Easy decision in Calgary; Lucic will go on to get paid like a bottom 6 forward and find a home on a team that needs more truculence.
Carolina – Jake Gardiner ($4.05 AAV for 3 more years) – Jake waited… and he waited and then finally signed with CAR this summer for 4 years. At the time, it seemed like a good deal but the Canes have reportedly already tried to move Gardiner. He's an easy candidate to go.
Chicago – Brent Seabrook ($6.87M AAV for 4 more years) – I don't need to go into this one too much as we all know #7 would be as good as gone if the NHL awards each team a buyout. Seabs has been a friggin' warrior for this team but his contract is horrendous at this point.
Colorado – N/A – Colorado is the only team that does not process a compliance buyout.
Columbus – Alexander Wennberg ($4.9M for 3 more years) – He's only 25 years old, but right now, the former 14th overall selection is trending in the wrong direction. The Jackets may opt to dump Brandon Dubinsky's last year at $5.9M but I think they might have seen enough of Wennberg to know that this contract isn't going to age well. He has just 7 goals in his last 132 games.
Dallas – Jamie Benn ($9.5M AAV for 5 more years) – This might be a shocker to most but that's a huge ticket for a guy who's seemingly on the decline (39 points in 69 games this past season). Joe Pavelski at $7M AAV is another candidate.
Detroit – Frans Nielsen ($5.25M AAV for 2 more years) – 9 points in 60 games, Frans? Really? The 35-year old is on his last legs in the NHL and he would be a likely buyout in DET.
Edmonton – James Neal ($5.75M AAV for 3 more years) – Even though he started off as the hottest player in the NHL, Neal faded and the Oilers can't afford his contract. Money could be spent better elsewhere in EDM.
Florida – Sergei Bobrovsky ($10M AAV for 6 more years) – Yep! I'm doing it. Instant buyers remorse kicks in and the Panthers cut ties with Bob. Spencer Knight is not ready yet (not will he be for 3-5 more years), so FLA will need to lock in a starter. Could be a perfect spot for Robin Lehner, no?
LA – Jonathan Quick ($5.8M AAV for 3 more years) – He's still capable of the frequent amazing save, however, Quick seems broken to me. At 34, he's had too many hard years of long playoff runs and injuries. Better to hand the reigns over to Cal Peterson, sign a veteran back-up and cut Quick loose. Dustin Brown is another candidate for a buyout.
Minnesota – Zach Parise ($7.53 AAV for 5 more years) – He was actually productive this year and a guy like Victor Rask ($4M for 2 more years) would be a better candidate in the short-term, but it's that term with Parise. Minny will have to cut fan favourite Parise loose.
Montreal – Karl Alzner ($4.62 AAV for 2 more years) – Buried in the AHL for most of the last 2 seasons, Alzner is an obvious choice for the Habs. This is a signing that Bergeron would love to have back as Alzner only played 1 full season in MTL and the rest was toiling away in the minors.
Nashville – Kyle Turris ($6M AAV for 4 more years) – Nashville has tried to get Turris going over the last couple years but to no avail. He would surely be bought out to start a new life somewhere else. At 30 years of age, he would actually look good back in a Senators uniform, helping lead a younger team in OTT where he had a lot of previous success.
New Jersey – Cory Schneider ($6M AAV for 2 more years) – P.K. Subban would be another choice, however, he can at least skate a regular shift in NJ. Schneider is toast. Mackenzie Blackwood is the future (I think?) for the Devils and sending Schneider off into the sunset would be best for all parties.
New York Islanders – Andrew Ladd ($5.5M for 3 more years) – It sounded like a Ladd for Parise type deal almost happened at the deadline but the teams weren't able to make it work. The Ladd signing almost immediately backfired on Long Island. Let's just hope Stan doesn't bring Ladd back for a 3rd time if he's bought out.
New York Rangers – Henrik Lundqvist ($8.5M for 1 more year) – Out of respect, I see the Rangers giving Lundqvist the choice to get to free agency one year early. Hank can then sign a cheaper, short-term deal to go try to win a Stanley Cup while the Russians, Shesterkin and Georgiev hold down the fort in NYR for the foreseeable future.
Ottawa – Bobby Ryan ($7.25M AAV for 2 more years) – Ryan has been through a lot in his life so he'll be able to handle this buyout. He's 33 years old so chances are he could grab a short-term deal for a much, much lower AAV.
Philadelphia – James Van Riemsdyk ($7M AAV for 3 more years) – JVR has been solid in his first couple of seasons in PHI, however, $7M might be too much for them to afford for a 3rd liner. The Flyers also have a plethora of talented forwards coming up through the system so they could afford to lose JVR.
Pittsburgh – Jack Johnson ($3.25M AAV for 3 more years) – The Pens will once again need to maneuverer the cap this summer but I feel like GM Rutherford puts himself in this position because he loves the challenge. Shedding Johnson's contract will help. Hornqvist at $5.3M per season is another candidate for a buyout.
St. Louis – Justin Faulk ($6.5M AAV for 7 more years) – The trading for Faulk made sense to me at the time, but the Blues resigning him for 7 years(!) did not. Especially when they have to pay their Captain Alex Pietrangelo this summer. I say they cut bait with Faulk who registered just 16 points in his first campaign with STL.
San Jose – Martin Jones ($5.75M AAV for 4 more years) – Bet you thought I was going to say Erik Karlsson's $11.5M monster contract, didn't you? Well, if it were me, I would cut EK loose, but I think Doug Wilson sticks by that signing and addresses the bigger problem on his team, his goaltending. Jones has been a problem in SJ due to his lack of consistency.
Tampa Bay – Yanni Gourde ($5.16M AAV for 5 more years) – So many options in Tampa; I could have gone with Palat ($5.3M), Tyler Johnson ($5M), Killorn ($4.45) or McDonagh ($6.75). I opted for Gourde due to the term. 5 years remaining on a guy who – while he's versatile – only put up 30 points (10 goals) in 70 games this year.
Toronto – Alex Kerfoot ($3.5M AAV for 3 more years) – I'm not sure what to do here because the Leafs are in such a mess. They wouldn't buy out Tavares, Matthews, Marner or Nylander because, well, I believe they could trade any 4 of those guys for an actual return if they wanted to clear up space. Kerfoot would likely have suitors as well, but I landed on him and his $3.5M contract.
Washington – Nick Jensen ($2.5M AAV for 3 more years) – It's not a big buyout but the Caps are in pretty good shape. Jensen has never really fit in with WSH and they could use his money to put towards re-signing Gudas or Dillon.
Winnipeg – Bryan Little ($5.29M for 4 more years) – Byfuglien looks like the obvious choice here in Winnipeg but I think WPG will move him and his 1 year, $7.6M in the offseason or just buy him out. Little gives more long-term financial stability to the Jets.
Vancouver – Loui Eriksson ($6M AAV for 2 more years) – This one was an easy one. Eriksson fell off a cliff the last few years and would possibly head back to Sweden to finish out his career.
Vegas – Paul Stastny ($6.5M AAV for 1 more year) – VGK might opt to go with someone with more term (like Pacioretty or Karlsson) but in terms of contract value, Stastny would be the one to go. He's battled injuries in his time with the Golden Knights. At 34 years old, he would still be a great short-term signing for a team looking for a 2C/3C.
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Phew… that was a lot.
Agree with my decisions? Disagree?
Fire away on the message boards.
Stay safe and see ya out there!
TC
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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