SERAVALLI: 10 buyout candidates this NHL offseason
As Erik Karlsson once noted: The time is nigh. Whether it’s a long-awaited Wednesday night in Tampa and a Stanley Cup celebration two years in the making, or later in the week if the Habs can make history, the conclusion of the 2020-21 season is near.
With that, the NHL’s first buyout window will open 24 hours after Lord Stanley’s mug is awarded – and closes promptly at 5 o’clock E.T. on July 27.
Buyouts will present yet another opportunity for teams to get their protection lists in order ahead of the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft on July 21.
When the Vegas Golden Knights entered the league in 2017, three players with “no-move” clauses were bought out – Francois Beauchemin, Dan Girardi and Scott Hartnell – to alleviate the requirement to protect them in the Expansion Draft.
We could well see history repeat itself. There were 14 buyouts that summer. There were 10 last fall as the league transitioned amid the flat cap pandemic.
Here are 10 buyout candidates who could then become free agents:
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, Phillip Grubauer and Gabriel Landeskog. But a buyout would remove the requirement to protect Johnson with his “no-move clause.”
4. KEITH YANDLE
Left Defense, Florida Panthers
Contract: 2 years remaining at $6.35 million AAV
Age: 34
Scoop: If an early season scare to his Ironman Streak wasn’t a window into the Panthers’ plans for Yandle, his healthy scratch in the first round against Tampa Bay offered a better indication. Florida can save nearly $5 million total against the cap over the next two seasons, while pocketing almost $2.5 million in real cash savings in the process.
5. MARTIN JONES
Goaltender, San Jose Sharks
Contract: 3 years remaining at $5.75 million AAV
Age: 31
Scoop: Jones has played three straight regular seasons – and a 20-game playoff run – with a cumulative save percentage hovering around .896, well below league average. A buyout would save the Sharks approximately $3.75 million in cap space next season. And that’s money that could be put toward Jones’ replacement, where an upgrade could put San Jose back on the path toward the playoffs in the Pacific.
6. ZACH PARISE
Left Wing, Minnesota Wild
Contract: 4 years remaining at $7.54 million AAV
Age: 36
Scoop: The proposition is simple for Minnesota – bite the bullet and buyout Parise this summer or don’t talk about it again. Because his $98 million contract is structured in a way that it doesn’t make much sense after this offseason. The Wild can enjoy a $5.2 million savings next season before his cap hit jumps up again for each of the next three years, due to the nature of his backdiving deal. A buyout would also free up another much-needed protection spot – and free up money for new deals for Kirill Kaprizov and Kevin Fiala. The same terms apply to Ryan Suter’s twin contract but he has remained more productive than Parise, who was a healthy scratch at varying points last season, including in the playoffs. A buyout would also eliminate the worry a potential cap recapture penalty should he retire in the future.
7. JAKE VIRTANEN
Right Wing, Vancouver Canucks
Contract: 1 year remaining at $2.55 million AAV
Age: 24
Scoop: Virtanen was placed on leave on May 1 after an alleged sexual assault from 2017 came to light, an accusation which Virtanen has denied in British Columbia court filings. For so many reasons, this is a no-brainer for Vancouver. In fact, it would have been advisable for the Canucks to cut bait last summer via trade. Virtanen went on to collect just five goals and no assists in 38 games. Now GM Jim Benning has a do-over at his disposal by way of an inexpensive buyout. Virtanen can be bought out for just a $50,000 cap charge next season and $500,000 the year following.
8. BEN BISHOP
Goaltender, Dallas Stars
Contract: 2 years remaining at $4.92 million AAV
Age: 34
Scoop: As it stands, Bishop requires protection via his “no-move” clause. But a buyout would make simplify the Stars’ expansion plans, since Jake Oettinger is exempt and then Dallas could protect Anton Khudobin. Bishop didn’t play a single game last season recovering from surgery to repair a torn meniscus. He did rehab on-ice toward the end of the season, which likely would enable a buyout if the Stars chose that route. But it’s not the end of the world so long as he is willing to waive his NMC for expansion purposes, as the buyout carries a $3.2 million cap charge for the next two seasons, which is only a marginal savings over a worst-case scenario of parking his contract in the AHL if his game does not rebound.
9. PAUL BYRON
Left Wing, Montreal Canadiens
Contract: 2 years remaining at $3.4 million AAV
Age: 32
Scoop: In a search for salary cap flexibility, the Canadiens placed Paul Byron on waivers three times last season. After helping the Habs to the Stanley Cup Final, the well-respected alternate captain could be moving on. Buying out the final two years of his deal would present nearly $2.9 million in additional cap space for next season as Montreal attempts to squeeze in free agents Phillip Danault, Joel Armia, Corey Perry and RFA Arturri Lehkonen.
10. SONNY MILANO
Left Wing, Anaheim Ducks
Contract: 1 year remaining at $1.7 million AAV
Age: 25
Scoop: Milano is a lowercase buyout candidate. But since he could not break through from the taxi squad into a regular role on the Ducks’ roster, they can save both cap space ($500,000) and $1.2 million in real cash by executing a buyout. Milano played just six NHL games last season and another two with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls.
Other names to keep an eye on: Mikko Koskinen (Edmonton), Anton Stralman (Florida), Danny DeKeyser (Detroit), Olli Maatta (Los Angeles).
Editor’s note: Philadelphia’s Philippe Myers was originally included on this list as a name to ‘keep an eye on,’ though a buyout is indeed unlikely. Myers’ inclusion was more so to specifically point out his unique contract structure and how a buyout would actually net a rare future cap credit in the event of a buyout. Apologies for any confusion.