2021 Daily Faceoff Top 10: #2— SERAVALLI: 2021 offseason buyout candidates
The second most read article of the year dove into some possible buyout options as the summer kicked off.
Written by Frank Seravalli on July 6, he detailed 10 players who could have their contracts bought out. Of the bunch just three didn’t end up on new teams.
Here’s some of what Seravalli wrote about the top three:
1. TONY DEANGELO
Right Defense, New York Rangers
Contract: 1 year remaining at $4.8 million AAV
Age: 25
Scoop: We reported last week that the Rangers finalized plans to buy DeAngelo out of the final year of his deal. The DeAngelo saga has been trending toward this inexpensive buyout (as DeAngelo is under 26, his buyout will cost one-third less) ever since he was dismissed from the team in late January for off-ice conduct.
2. JAMES NEAL
Left Wing, Edmonton Oilers
Contract: 2 years remaining at $5.75 million AAV
Age: 33
Scoop: Oilers GM Ken Holland indicated he could buyout one, if not two players this summer and Neal rises to the top of the list. He was a healthy scratch for a large chunk of the season after struggling to regain form from an early season COVID-19-related illness. Neal finished with 10 points in 29 games. A buyout would leave Edmonton with a $1.92 million dead cap charge for the next four seasons, representing just shy of a $4 million savings in each of the next two campaigns.
3. ERIK JOHNSON
Right Defense, Colorado Avalanche
Contract: 2 years remaining at $6 million AAV
Age: 33
Scoop: Johnson would need to be healthy in order to be bought out, and concussion symptoms have persisted since a Jan. 30 hit that caused him to miss all but four games last season. But Johnson was not included on the list of injured players exempt from Expansion by the NHL. In some ways, a move to LTIR might make more sense if Johnson is still injured, as the Avs could use Johnson’s full $6 million cap space to help pay pending free agents Cale Makar, Philipp Grubauer and Gabriel Landeskog. But a buyout would remove the requirement to protect Johnson with his “no-move clause.”
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.